World of Consequences
by Sower Hermit
Summary: It has been six years since they've defeated Salem and everything seems right with the world. However, old powers and legends find themselves reemerging for the first time and tensions are rising between nations as they try to deal with the new opportunities they've been given. Team RWBY once again find themselves fighting for the sake of the world.
1. Prologue 1

**Author's Note:** So here's the updated version of the Prologue. The other chapters should also be updated. The only changes were of course any mistakes I caught upon rereading, expanding certain scenes, minor editing here and there, and minor retcons that have little relevance to the plot so this fic is more inline with the show. That and I've made a pass on all the chapters to make it more open-ended so it's less reliant on events from the show (except potential character deaths). Outside of that, I hope you enjoy this attempt at a "final arc" in RWBY. Questions, comments, reviews, criticism, etc-are always welcome!

 **March 1, 2019 Update:** Went in and did some "routine" proofreading and corrections/improvements. Nothing major, just minor stuff. RIP peoples' inboxes (for those who are following it) lol.

* * *

 **Prologue**

 **Morgan**

* * *

Ruby roused from her sleep; she yawned and stretched as she sat up. She jumped off the bed as she shook off a headrush. Her head was pounding; not too bad but it definitely hurt. _Another headache_ , she thought. It was the fourth one in a row. She thought nothing of it though. It was annoying more than anything else. She gazed over at the table and smiled at Full Rose. Things were sort of boring now, but at least she could use these missions as an opportunity to refine the new designs.

She put on her bandoleer around her waist, put on her armor-plated corset, tightened it over her long-sleeved undershirt, then rushed over to put on her boots. She walked over to the desk and picked up her scroll. _Let's see now. This is near Oniyuri. Haven't been there in years. Just gotta clear out some grimm?_ She thought. Another boring mission. Things were boring nowadays. Pretty much any huntsman or huntress could do these jobs. If it wasn't for her desire to test Full Rose, she wouldn't have much of a reason to be here. She looked at her scroll again and noticed that she woke up rather late. It was already noon.

 _There is still so much work to be done, though,_ she thought. She pushed a finger into her temple. It never did anything, but there was an urge. Usually happened with headaches, she could never just suffer through them without fidgeting. She hadn't tested the design of Rose Thorn yet, so she decided to use that mode exclusively for this mission.

She finished up her morning routine and made a bit of breakfast. She devoured the breakfast, finishing up the last bite out of the omelet she made, downed the cup of milk, and rushed off to her mission. She would be taken to the area by airship, so she just had to remember where the landing was. It has been a while since she was last in Mistral. She hoped that it wouldn't mean she forgot where the landing was, though that's precisely what ended up happening. She scoured the maze that was the city. She had been in the middle part of Mistral, between the Lower and Upper cities. She ran between alleyways, down streets, around food stalls, and through the crevices of the mountainside. Nothing. She stopped here and there for directions until finally, she found the landing. Was it her or did people give terrible directions?

She boarded the airship. Once on, she paid the price for a boarding ticket with the left-over Lien she had from staying at a hotel and rode it to Oniyuri. The airship took around an hour of travel before it arrived. It lowered near the outskirts of the village—safely at a distance from any of the buildings. It dropped her off. "Thanks for the lift!"

"No problem, ma'am! Be careful! You have our number so feel free to call us if you need a lift back," One of the crew members said. The boat-like airship flew off as she stepped off. Did they recognize her? She couldn't recall a time where they would offer such a thing. Maybe it's because she's a big-time huntress now? Guess being famous had its perks.

She looked forward and walked toward Oniyuri which to her surprise had become an actual town with people in it. It seemed like Mistral managed to reclaim some lost territory, which wasn't very surprising to her. The news was constantly mentioning all the different villages, towns, and cities being built outside the safety of the main cities. With how things ended up, practically every nation was dramatically expanding its territory.

She walked up to what seemed to be an authority in the town and greeted him, "Hey mister, I'm here about the nearby grimm, would you know where they are right now?"

The man in the red garments stroked his grey beard and scanned her. "Why yes! Finally, some help arrives! You see with what happened to Oniyuri in the past, the people of the town are more anxious than normal about any nearby grimm. We have defenses, but you can understand the concern. Despite the world these days, old fears don't die so easily."

"Of course," She said, smiling.

He gestured with his thumb, pointing in the direction behind him. "They are currently up north near the lake. You can't miss it. They might have moved a bit, but they should still be in the general area."

She gave a salute and a smile. "Thank you! I'll have them cleared out in no time!"

"Thank you! Miss uh…"

"Ruby Rose, at your service!"

"Thank you, Miss Rose!"

Ruby wasted no time leaving Oniyuri and arrived at the lake area in short order, and she could definitely tell grimm were nearby by the distant growls and howls. She looked out across the lake and noticed a large building off in the distance. _Was that always there?_ Even though it was far away she could still tell it was of Atlesian architecture. Was that a base? Since when did Atlas set up a base here? She recalled hearing about Atlas expanding out into other continents given the lack of farmable land on Solitas. She pushed the thought out of her head; she didn't want to think about Atlesian politics or politics _at all_ for that matter.

The grimm got closer. Enough to where she could see their red eyes flaring in the shadows of the night. She pulled out Full Rose as it transformed into a lance, one that had a long cylindrical spike. She inserted a cartridge of fire dust and pulled the trigger, causing the lancehead to become enflamed. She swirled in their direction like a red flaming bullet—rose petals streaking behind—as she sundered a few of them in an instant. The sizzled, shadowy remains simmered away.

She flipped backward dodging two beowolf claws. Parrying a Beringel's fist with the butt of Full Rose, she—in three swift motions—pierced straight through the Beringel's chest, spun around, pierced through the tough hide of an Ursa, and—as she lined them up—pierced through the beowolves. _A good sign_ , she thought. Some of the grimm had tougher hides than others, like the Beringel and so far, she was piercing through them like butter.

She gracefully spun and dodged between three more grimm that had swiped at her and then blazed through the three of them in an instant, rose petals blowing around her mixing with the remains of the slain grimm. One left. She turned around and noticed a geist had possessed a tree. She didn't feel like bothering anymore if she was being honest with herself. Dealing with the other grimm was easy enough that she barely needed to use her semblance. She lowered her guard and focused her gaze on the geist. Before the white light of her eyes could do their thing, her headache flared up and her gaze blurred. She got dizzy and fell to the ground. Everything went black.

What happened? Did the geist get her? Where was she? She never blacked out like that before, so she couldn't be sure if this was worth getting concerned over, but this didn't feel right. She was oddly aware despite whatever it was. She felt like she…hadn't blacked out. Like it was supposed to be a dream, a very lucid dream, yet there was only black. She came to and opened her eyes. Her headache was gone, but she still felt rather dizzy. She bolted to her feet, her instincts flared. Where was the geist? She patted herself down, checking for any wounds.

"Hey there, kiddo. You had me worried there for a sec."

She turned around and there stood her uncle, scythe hanging over his shoulder. "Qrow? What are you doing here?"

"Was in the area and heard you were around. What happened?" He let down his scythe, transforming it back to its sword form and placed it on his lower back.

"I don't know, I've been having a headache for a few days, came here, thought I'd kill the geist with my silver eyes, but then I blacked out."

"That doesn't sound good. Have you been using them a lot lately?"

She shrugged. "Not really."

"Are you sure?" He gave her a look.

"Y-yeah. I mean I _may_ have used them here and there."

He sighed. "You know, you shouldn't be using them so frivolously; that's dangerous."

"I know, I know. I just...sometimes I get bored fighting weak grimm all the time!"

"Hey! Boredom is no excuse."

She pouted. "Alright, alright, fine! I'll try not to use them unless I need to."

"Just to make sure though, I'd like to run this by the others, see what they have to say about it. Make sure it's nothing serious."

"Alright, let me just head back over to Oniyuri really quick to let the town know the grimm have been cleared out."

* * *

They arrived in Patch. Oscar was over for dinner, along with professors Port, Oobleck, and Goodwitch. A feast was apparently prepared as she had smelled it all the way outside long before the two of them entered. They walked into a house filled with warm smiles, multiple ongoing conversations, jokes, laughter, and eating.

Qrow walked up to the large table that was set and the revelry stopped to greet the two of them as they entered. Dad noticed them with a side eye and then jerked to face them. "Oh, your back! How went the mission?"

Ruby shrugged. "Pretty much same as always."

"Yeah, well, about that. Probably should mention that I had to save you since you blacked out back there."

Glynda put on a concerned expression. "That's...not a good sign."

The rest of them didn't look too worried, but they did address the news with varying degrees of concern based on their expressions; Yang and Dad looked the most worried.

"Yeah well, it's no big deal." Ruby rolled her eyes.

Oscar turned to her and gazed, brow furrowed.

Ruby noticed the expression. "What?"

Qrow frowned at her. "Ruby, you should tell them the rest."

She sighed. "Ugh, okay fine! See, I've been having headaches for a few days, and I may have been using my eyes a lot lately, and then I blacked out against a geist. Look it's no big deal! I'm fine!"

Raven folded her arms, slouching on a chair beside the main table. "She might have been overusing them."

"Maybe." Oscar concurred.

"Well, that's why we stopped by actually. Didn't know you had this all set up," Qrow said.

Dad looked annoyed. "You should check your scroll sometime then."

"Hey! I check! Just forgot this time is all. Was busying taking care of stuff." Qrow scratched his head.

Oscar fiddled with his tea cup. "Well we can check to see if that's the case."

Professor Oobleck finished taking a sip of his tea. "How so? What do you have in mind?"

"A simple test. She can try and use them again and we can see what happens." He turned back to Ruby. "Are you okay with that?"

She shrugged. "Sure, don't see why not."

Oscar smiled and turned to everyone else. "Then it's settled! If that's okay with you all."

"Hey, the sooner we figure this out, the better. Though let's eat first," Dad said.

Qrow and Ruby sat down to join in on the festivities. She took a glass of milk, a piece of bread, and a large serving of mashed potatoes, made by Yang. It had been a while since she last cooked. They laughed and shared stories, reminisced on old times, discussed how things were changing now. She looked over at Raven who looked solemn yet…happy. Her headache flared, but for just a moment as she returned to eating.

After they finished dinner, they spent some extra time talking and winding down. She was offered a drink, but she declined; even though she was old enough she didn't quite like alcohol. She took in a deep breath and turned around to face everyone. Even though this was her own backyard it didn't really make much of a difference to ease her nerves. She never used her eyes like this in front of everyone. At least, not like this. Normally, if she did it would be because she had good reason to.

She faced back forward and took another deep breath and focused her gaze on the tree in front of her. She wasn't sure what the light was going to do to a tree, but that didn't matter. She gazed, gazed, and gazed some more, but nothing happened. There were no headaches either. She turned around again, noticing their watching eyes, so she turned back forward and tried once more. This time, a light flared from out of her and then quickly receded. It worked! No headaches either!

"Well, that's weird. Looks like it's not the eyes then," Qrow said.

Oscar fidgeted with his cane. "Yeah, that is a little weird. No headaches, Ruby?"

She turned around again. "Nope. I feel just fine." She smiled. She walked toward the group and looked at Yang.

Yang had put her hand on her hip and leaned to the side a little. "So what do you think is causing these blackouts, then?"

"No idea. It's probably something medical." Dad turned to Ruby. "You should go check in at a doctor and get a few medical examinations done just to make sure nothing's wrong."

"Alright."

"And after that, we'll see to toughening you up!" Raven walked up, hands on her hips. "You've been relying on your silver eyes too much. That shouldn't be what makes you strong."

"I do not. I'm strong just as it is." Ruby rubbed her head a little, feeling the headache return.

Raven folded her arms. "So you're telling me you don't ever feel like using your eyes to save time against weak grimm?"

Ruby blushed a bit. "Maaaaybe just a little."

"Heh, and there we have it! A confession. Well, I'll be going with you to the doctor, after which, you and I will be going hunting." Raven walked toward the inside of the house.

Dad turned to them. "Wait what?"

"Yup. Just the two of us and no one else. I figured it's time for my niece and I to do a little bonding, wouldn't you say?" Raven looked over to Ruby and gave a cocksure smile.

She simply responded with her own, though nervous, smile. Her headache still present as she looked at her aunt walking into the house. _Bonding? We're going to bond?_ She thought.

They stopped by the Vale Regional Hospital where Ruby went in to get examinations. Raven waited outside of all the rooms where the tests were being done. After a few hours of several scans and physicals, Ruby went into the waiting room with Raven waiting for the doctor to come in with the results.

She kicked her feet up and down as she sat. A few minutes. She whistled. "What's in the bag?" Raven had brought with her a large sack.

"I'll tell you about it later."

"Oh. Okay." She tried to avoid looking at Raven or making eye contact with her. She had never been alone with her like this. It was weird. What was hunting going to be like with her? _Relax!_ She thought. Yang was perfectly fine with her, everything was going to be fine! What's the worst that could happen?

"Listen Ruby…" Raven got off the wall she leaned on, unfolded her arms, and started fidgeting as she paced around the room. "I made my peace with Yang. She's my daughter after all."

 _Well this is awkward_. Well, more than it already was. She didn't know Raven very well. She's not her mother so it never really came up in discussion; who she was, who she is, what she's done—well, that she was aware of.

"I just…" She sighed and turned to face her niece. "Your mother. Truth is, I envied her. I never would have been honest with myself with that. I would have went to my grave before I ever admitted it, but…she had a way of looking at things. A way of seeing the world. A way of seeing I wish I shared." She started pacing again. "You know what they say, hindsight is twenty twenty." Raven tittered. "I look at the past now and think "if only we stuck together, if only I hadn't given up so easily, we really _could_ have beaten Salem. Qrow was right." Raven's face blushed and she seemed like she was straining herself. "Look, I guess what I'm trying to say is…thanks, and that my daughter couldn't have a better sister." She smiled.

For the first time since ever, Ruby saw Raven give her a warm, genuine smile. It made her tear up a bit. She rubbed her head. The pain flared, but only for an instant. "I…it's no big deal. God, I suck at this…" She blushed. "What matters is that we're a family again, or for the first time? I don't know." Ruby returned the smile.

Raven's smile widened and for a second it looked as if the stress on her face, the wrinkles, the weight, all of it just disappeared. It was a smile she rarely saw from anyone. "Yeah, yeah you're right."

 _Can I forgive her that easily?_ She thought. The thought was a strange one, one she didn't intend, but…could she? Of course she could!

The doctor knocked and walked in. "So, Miss Rose! Everything came out okay. No lesions, or tumors, no abnormalities of any kind. Your brain and body are in perfect condition. Can't say what is causing these headaches and blackouts except stress and considering your profession, I'd recommend getting some rest and perhaps taking some time off from your huntress duties, as important as they are."

 _As important as they are…_ she thought.

"Thank you, doctor." Raven stood there, arms crossed.

"So, is there anything else? If not, you're free to leave, the receptionist will be ready to take your payment. Do take care."

"Thank you, doctor." Ruby got up and left along with Raven.

They walked down a corridor that wasn't very busy. "So, I guess it's not my health either."

"It _is_ strange. Probably _is_ just stress as the doctor said. Maybe it's just how your body is changing with age. You're not a teenager anymore."

"True. Though I don't think I've ever heard of someone my age blacking out like this without there being some sort of health issue."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it. Unless it worsens, best to just ignore it. Not much we can do if even the doctors can't help."

Ruby continued walking, feeling nervous, anxious, wondering what this could be. It felt like her body was telling her something, but she couldn't quite figure out what. "So where to now?" She looked over to Raven as they moved closer to the receptionists' room.

"We are going to find us an unspoiled mountain." Raven returned her look and grinned.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Unspoiled mountain?"

"We're going to summon us a dragon. And this time, you won't be using your silver eyes, got it?"

A grimm dragon? A grimm DRAGON? How exciting! It was so boring to fight weak grimm all the time. She could test Rose Thorn again! Or maybe Steel Stem! Or maybe the Grimm Reaper! There were so many ideas flowing through her head!

"Seems that got you excited!"

"Oh, you know it!"

* * *

Ruby's arms drooped in front of her. She slouched forward. "Are we there yet?" They had been walking up the mountain trail for well over three hours. Or maybe four hours. She wasn't sure. It was late. Close to midnight, though she couldn't be sure, and she didn't have the care to check her scroll.

"Almost. I want to get as close to the mountain top as possible, preferably in an area with somewhat usable footing."

Her feet ached, and it was the middle of summer and Vale this time of year was a bad place for allergies. She could feel her skin itching. The mountain breeze was nice though. The cold waves that periodically graced her face did wonders as they slowly washed away the sweat. "By the way you said you'd tell me what's in the bag."

"Our bait. We need a lot of negative emotion to draw one of these things out and Atlas just so happened to have developed a device to generate a signal that mimics negative emotions. I got my hands on one a while back."

"You stole it you mean." She gave her an accusative glare, yet not one that carried with it any serious ill-intent. She held the side of her head for an instant, feeling a bit of pain. _Of course she did…_ She caught herself thinking.

"Well, we found it on an abandoned Atlesian transport and having the ability to generate a false signal to distract grimm is useful f—I don't need to explain myself!"

"Fine, fine. At least we have a way to safely draw it out."

They continued walking for what felt like another two hours before they found the ground Raven wanted. Once they arrived, she took out the device and placed it on the ground. "Ready?"

Ruby withdrew Full Rose and decided to go with Rose Petals this time; her weapon split into two, transforming into swords with each sword having twin gun barrels to the side of each blade. "On you!"

Raven activated the device. "It might take a little bit for it to generate enough of a signal, so keep your guard up." She backed up and withdrew a blade of fire dust. She didn't bother to activate her maiden powers.

They stood there waiting for two minutes before the ground shook. It grew stronger and stronger until the mountaintop erupted and from the eruption a loud screech and following it, a large grimm dragon, larger than the one she encountered at Beacon seven years ago.

"Remember! No silver eyes," Raven shouted.

"I know! Don't worry, I won't need them!" Ruby smirked and stood in a battle stance, one sword off to the side as if ready to swing with the other held out in front ready to fire the gun.

The dragon noticed them and swooped down with immense ferocity, shaking the ground as it drew closer. They dodged to the side and…her vision got blurry again, she lost her footing, her vision began to darken. She was blacking out again. _No! Not again, not now!_ She collapsed onto the ground and faded with the sight and sound of Raven shouting her name.

Darkness. Only darkness. What _was_ this? Was she asleep? Was it all a dream? Maybe she'll wake up in her bed this time. Though her head didn't hurt anymore. Like before, she was oddly lucid. She tried to move herself, to open her eyes, but she couldn't. It felt like there was something blocking her. Sort of like she bumped into a wall while stumbling in the dark.

She woke up. She slowly perked up and sat there gazing around. There, not too far in front of where she was, the grimm dragon was slowly dissipating, enormous plumes of black smoke shrouding the air, urging her to cough. Its corpse was practically torn to shreds. She saw one of its wings a few feet away from it also disappearing in smoke. Its tail, head, other wing, and one of its claws were scattered about. She felt relief and continued scanning until she saw _her_. Raven, on the ground and flat on her back in a pool of her own blood, her very own fire-dusted blade pierced right through her chest.

* * *

They rushed Raven into the emergency room. Ruby followed closely. The doctors at the Vale Regional Hospital wouldn't let her pass beyond the doors having told her just to sit tight. What happened when she blacked out? Was it the dragon? How did it get her sword? Another grimm? She felt sick. Sick and guilty. What was she going to tell Dad and Yang?

She paced back and forth. She pulled out her scroll though almost dropped it as she sent a message to Dad and Qrow, neglecting to mention exactly what happened to Raven—the parts she knew anyways. Minutes passed, then an hour. The surgeon walked out as Dad, Yang, and Qrow rushed in, Oscar following behind. They stopped right behind Ruby, worried looks on their faces.

"What happened?" Dad shouted.

The doctor addressed them. "Are you Raven's family?"

"Yeah." Affirmed Yang, who's expression was the most worried of them all.

Ruby could only look at her sister, feeling even worse than before. This was all her fault. If only she didn't have those damn blackouts! _No, it isn't,_ she thought. She shook her head.

"She's stabilized but is still in critical condition. The injury affected her heart but thankfully didn't do any permanent damage. Most of the damage was on the adjacent lung. She should be fine, and we will continue to monitor her health going forward. You may see her whenever you're ready." The doctor walked back to the room as they followed.

Inside Raven's hospital room, they settled inside and looked upon Raven's unconscious, still wounded body. The nurses and the doctor left them to cope. Qrow looked over to her, solemn expression on his face. "What happened, Ruby?"

"I-I don't know. I-I blacked out again. We summoned the grimm dragon and then…I blacked out. When I came to, the dragon was dead, but Raven…" She turned to look at her unconscious aunt.

"Was she wounded before you blacked out?" Dad asked.

"No. Her sword. It was in her chest when I woke up." _It's not your fault,_ she thought. She shook her head again.

"An assassin then? Raven must still have enemies. One of them must have followed her, took the dragon's attack as an opportunity to strike," Dad said.

Yang walked up to her mother.

"We don't know that for certain, Tai." Qrow sat down on a bench nearby and leaned forward.

"Well what else could it have been? Grimm don't use our weapons against us like that!"

"I know, I know, I'm just saying. Look, I'll go out and get some information, some leads for us to follow. Who do we got?"

Oscar turned around to face the group. "It could be an old enemy of hers. Someone who has been keeping tabs maybe? It could also be an enemy of her tribe. Maybe even someone upset that she no longer leads them."

Qrow sighed. "The tribe is currently led by some chick named Azure Branwen. Skilled huntress who was quite the prodigy as Raven put it. Quite dangerous too. Apparently, thanks to her, the Branwen Tribe has seen a recent resurgence. I'll go ask around where Raven was likely to travel in the past, see if I can find anything about people she might have known."

Dad's brow furrowed. "You're not gonna check the tribe?"

"I'll check out the tribe," Interjected Ruby.

Dad looked shocked. "Under your condition? That's the _last_ place I'd let you go!"

"I'll go with her, make sure she's alright," Oscar said.

Dad let out a sigh, as he rubbed his forehead. "Alright, fine. Just…talk, don't do anything reckless."

Oscar smiled. "Don't worry, I'll look out for her."

Ruby turned around to face her sister—who was still watching her mother. "What about you, Yang?"

"I think I'll stay here." She just stood there, looking down at her mother.

Ruby could only solemnly stand there, unsure of what to say. She walked out, following Oscar. Qrow had left with them but they split up as they exited the hospital. With the aid of an airship courtesy of Glynda they searched for a few days, staying at a few motels in nearby villages, all in search of the Branwen Tribe. They found clues here and there, statements from villagers as to where they were last seen, but so far, their search yielded no solid results. She felt like she was on a timetable; that at any moment the assailant could come after her family next. Her family _next_? _Wasn't Raven family?_ The intrusive thoughts were quickly getting annoying.

Eventually, they found clues that the Branwen Tribe was currently staying near the west coast of Anima. They traveled there and indeed found the tribe's base of operations. She noticed the Branwen Tribe was definitely doing well these days. From what Yang told her, their base was supposed to be sort of rundown and primitive as it allowed them to move at a moment's notice. Everything still seemed portable though they now had turrets placed at each of the guard towers. The walls were made of a thin metal with joints placed along several of the sections. They walked straight to the front, stopped by the guards at the front gate as she noticed that there were a lot more people than she expected, and they were more armored as well.

"Hold it! What do you two want?" One of the guards said.

Oscar stepped up. "We're on the lookout for an assailant that recently attacked your former leader, Raven Branwen. Considering her association with you, it's likely they might come after the tribe next. We've come in search of any information your tribe might be able to give us."

The two turned to look at each other and then back to the two of them. "Alright, come with us."

They were escorted to the front of a large building, elegant in design, topped with the symbol of the tribe. They were told to stay put while one of the guards walked inside the tent. After a few minutes, a tall woman walked out, covered in bright blue garments lined with gold, pieces of plating here and there, a long scarf flowing down her back, large lance in her left hand. The woman's expression was stoic.

She flipped her bright blue hair back, letting it flow, and addressed them. "My name is Azure Branwen, I'm told that my predecessor was attacked and that you are in search of the would-be assassin. Is that right?"

"It is," Replied Oscar. "She's currently in critical condition and we have no leads, but it's likely that whoever attacked her was someone she made enemies with in the past, associated with said enemies, or direct enemies of the Branwen Tribe. Is there anything you could tell us? Especially anything recent."

The woman stroked her chin. She looked back at them. "The only notable people we've had a scuffle with lately would be the New Dawn, although I'm not sure if Raven in particular had any beef with them. If this assailant is an enemy of the Branwen Tribe then I'd have to assume they would be a part of the New Dawn."

Ruby and Oscar turned to each other, then Oscar spoke up again. "Could you tell us about this "New Dawn"?"

"They're a recently formed mercenary organization and our biggest competitors in the industry. Originating from Atlas I hear. They've been particularly aggressive as of late and have been moving in on our territory unprovoked. I can't tell you what their motives are, but if you're after an assassin that targeted one of our own, that's where I'd start. They've been operating all around Anima lately, I'd check nearby in fact. Our scouts suggest they set up camp near a town called Oniyuri."

The name surprised her. That, and the fact that the Branwen Tribe was now a mercenary group. Perhaps she was right. Raven was the old leader, so maybe the assailant thought she still had ties to them. Maybe they were seeking information, or they were out for vengeance, or to send a message. Whatever their motives, it bothered her. In fact she found herself more upset about it than she expected.

Oscar rubbed his chin. "The New Dawn, eh? Thanks Ms. Branwen." He bowed. "We'll take our leave and rest assured, we'll try and find you again to inform you of whatever we find on the New Dawn that could be of use to you. Consider it a trade for the help you've given us."

Azure gave a smirk. "How diplomatic of you. Very well then! Safe journeys, although I won't be telling you where we'll be going, I'm sure you understand."

Oscar nodded. "Of course."

With that, the two of them freely walked from out of the tribe's hideout and traveled straight to Oniyuri. During the trip Ruby left a message for her uncle via scroll about the New Dawn, asking him to keep a heads up. Once they reached Oniyuri, Ruby noticed that four soldiers clad in white-gold armor were roaming through the town. The both of them looked directly outside the town, to the left of it to find a large airship parked right in sight. It seemed Atlesian in design and even had its color scheme save for the blue bits replaced with gold.

Ruby walked up to the man she had talked to several days before during her routine mission, "Hey, who are those soldiers?"

The man recognized her. "Ah! Miss Rose! You've come to visit again? Oh, I wouldn't worry about them. They come here now and then to gather supplies and information."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Are they Atlesian military?"

"No, they're part of a mercenary group. New Dawn, I think."

She turned to Oscar and nodded.

"They wouldn't happen to have a camp nearby?" Oscar asked.

"I do believe so."

"Thank you," Oscar said.

The man bowed, and they walked off, waving goodbye. They walked toward a building and stood by it, watching the soldiers.

"Should we follow them?" Ruby asked.

"That's the plan. We'll watch them, and follow them to their base, although let's stay inconspicuous."

"Got it."

They watched them, and it was as the man said: they went from store to store, seemingly peaceful, picking up box after box. They practically cleaned up the town's supply of dust. But the strangest part was that a number of youths began following the four soldiers. Recruits perhaps?

Ruby and Oscar nodded to each other and followed them at a distance at the edges of town, trying to stay near buildings that were far away from them yet still in sight. They used parts of the building as cover as a way to help disguise the fact that they were trailing soldiers. The soldiers didn't seem to notice. They kept stocking up on supplies. They dropped off a few crates of dust, picked up crates of food and water, purchased some metal and wood, and payed without issue. Thankfully, none of them noticed they were being trailed. As they finished their supply run, they exited the town and left via the airship as it flew off in the direction of the base.

Ruby and Oscar followed the airship's trail, speeding toward the direction of the base. As they traversed through the small forest, they noticed a looming structure off in the distance across the lake. Definitely the one she saw a few days prior. Although the building looked big, as they got closer, she noticed that it looked makeshift. High-tech sure, but still like it was set up quickly. There were lots of jointed parts, the type of parts one would see in something that could fold up and be put away. Whatever they were doing here, it seemed like they were ready to pack up and leave at a moment's notice. Oddly, it was eerily similar to what the Branwen Tribe had got set up. Perhaps they had the same supplier?

Upon reaching near the front of the base, they both stopped and took a path around the base, trying to find any weak spots in the camp. They walked near bushes, through bushes, behind trees, through tree branches—all in an attempt to avoid the spotlights scanning the forest as the moonlight shined over the area. Eventually, they spotted a nearby stack of crates by the gate at the back of the camp. They waited for the search lights to wander away and sprang into action the moment it did. Once inside, they stayed under the cover of the shadows, making sure to stay behind whatever cover they could find.

Before they could continue on, commotion sprouted from one of the camp buildings. They turned to look at it. From out of it a man in a lab coat stumbled out, practically trying to grab the heels of the other man—a man cloaked in an Atlesian uniform.

"Please, Colonel! You have to reconsider," The scientist said.

"I'm not a colonel anymore, Dr. Riesling." The officer continued his stride forward, walking toward the front entrance to the camp.

"Commander, then! The research will be lost without interested minds available to record and further them. The grimm can be of use! With Salem gone, the creatures are without a master. Think! Think what humanity, what _Atlas_ could do if _we_ became their new masters! It is our destiny!"

The former colonel stopped in his tracts and paused for a few moments. "I've spent years, decades— _despite_ my youthful appearance—playing politics in Atlas." He turned around to face the desperate scientist. "I understand your desires and concerns, Dr. Riesling, but understand that the rise of Atlas comes not from the claws of darkness, but by the strength and ingenuity of humanity. No, our strength lies in the _other_ direction! I ask that you leave your research behind and focus on more productive matters. There have been a number of openings within the New Dawn that need filling. I ask that you consider the position; it's not grimm research but empowering research nonetheless. The maidens are still out there, remember?" The Atlesian officer turned back around and continued his walk toward the front entrance.

"But, Col—Commander Ravus! I—of course. I'll do as you say." The scientist gave a lazy Atlesian solute.

"I'm not sure I liked what I just heard," Oscar said.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Seems like these New Dawn guys are more serious than we thought." Ruby turned to look over at the scientist who—now alone in the middle of the camp—took out a scroll. "Hey, he's calling someone." _This man is a problem,_ she thought. She pushed a finger into her temple again as a reflex from the spike in head pain.

"Yes, hello. I was unable to convince the commander of the value of our research. I don't understand! He was interested before, what changed? Yes. Yes. I understand. Do you think it could be the influence of the New Dawn's new benefactors? Intel suggests they have little interest in the fate of grimm. Yes. Of course. I'll be sure to contact our little field agent shortly." He closed his scroll.

 _Field agent?_ Ruby watched as Dr. Riesling walked back to the building he exited earlier. She looked over at Oscar who was ensuring that no one had spotted them. "Everything clear?"

Oscar nodded. "Not sure what we could gleam from that call, but that field agent is someone we should look into."

"How would we do that? Interrogate Dr. Riesling?" _Among other things,_ she shook her head. What was with all these intrusive thoughts? She brushed off the worry and assumed it was anxiety. It often did that.

"Yes, I think that's currently our best bet. We'll try to sneak into the building and quietly knock everyone out save for the doctor. We'll have to be quick to avoid any noise however. No telling how many people are in that building, however small it might be."

 _So be it. They signed up for this,_ She couldn't help but think.

They snuck over to the building where Riesling was and entered it swiftly, in the cover of the shadows. Inside, Ruby flashed toward two guards stationed near the back end of the building with semblance-fueled speed and knocked them unconscious with the help of her momentum.

Oscar knocked out the other two guards with his own inhuman speed. "Glad I still got it!"

Before he could even react, Dr. Riesling was pushed up against the wall at the end of Full Rose in its sheathed state.

The doctor's eyes widened. "Y-you! I know you! You're Ruby Rose!" He didn't seem to recognize Oscar.

"How do you know who I am?"

"Are you kidding?" He let out a nervous laugh. "The legendary silver-eyed huntress? _Everyone_ knows who you are."

Oscar moved closer to the doctor, letting his cane stand propped up in front of him. "Tell me doctor, do you know Doctor Merlot?"

Riesling turned over to Oscar and grinned. "Yes, I do. Colleague of mine from way back. Unfortunate what happened to him."

"The field agent! What is their mission?" Ruby cut in, raising him higher with the end of her weapon, ready to transform it into Rose Thorn with him at the end of it.

It seemed the doctor noticed her intentions. He squirmed. "I-I. A spy! Maybe an assassin, it's not important, I swear! We were not messing with anything we shouldn't have!"

"Anything you "shouldn't have"?" replied Oscar. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Salem, now would it?"

"N-no! I—"

She pushed up against him harder. "I don't care about that! Who was this agent sent to spy on? Who were they sent to assassinate?" _It doesn't matter,_ the thought slipped in her mind.

"Ruby, perhaps you should ease up a bit."

"I—there was a long list of people! People who were of interest. If they couldn't be tagged as a potential resource—ally or otherwise—they were tagged to be assassinated!" He squirmed even more.

"Ruby…"

"Raven! Were one of those people Raven?" She ignored Oscar. This was all her fault. Her aunt, Yang's mother almost died, because of her. She wouldn't let anything like this happen again! Her anger surged as she waited for him to reply.

"Y-yes! She was one of the people on the list, but there were many others! The spy reports to us after every mission, they never targeted Raven! They—"

"Liar! She's in the hospital now, because of your agent!"

A hand was put on her arm. There was strength to it. It forced her to lower her weapon. Naturally she resisted. Who would try t—it was Oscar. She turned over to him as her anger dissipated. His face concerned. _Why would he do that?_ She turned over to the doctor, who in the moment had hit the alarm.

"Security!" He ran over to the side of the building and hid behind some crates.

"We have to get out of here!" Oscar bolted toward the entrance. She followed. As they exited the building her vision became blurry, the world spun, and she _struggled_ to keep her balance, though before she knew it, she collapsed.

"Ruby!" She could hear Oscar yell her name as everything went black.

Again. Another blackout. How was she aware? She had been knocked out before and it was never like this. This whole thing was frustrating and for some reason her body hurt all over.

 _Wake up._

What?

"Hey! Wake up!" A voice? Whose was it? It sounded…odd. Like she couldn't recognize it. It was a woman's voice though it was almost like there wasn't a voice at all.

She opened her eyes. The walls were torn and battered. She could hear the howling wind, thunder, and pounding rain slamming against the building. It looked old. Abandoned. She turned and faced the person who had spoken.

"Seems you're finally awake." The woman was around her height and cloaked in black battle wear, with red and gold laced throughout, face shrouded by a hood and grimm-like mask—one that looked like the face of a geist. She noticed her eyes. They were golden.

Ruby rubbed her head. She could swear she had a headache, yet she couldn't feel any pain. "Who are you?"

The woman stepped forward. There was a long pause. "…my name is Morgan. We need to talk."

Ruby stood up and tried to catch her bearings. She noticed Full Rose was missing. "About what?" She glanced around the house and noticed Full Rose placed behind Morgan by an unlit fireplace.

"About you. I've been watching you for a while now."

Her eyes widened. Someone who had been watching her, just so happened to have taken her here, and had effectively disarmed her? It had to be. Who else could it be? "It was you. You attacked Raven!"

"I know what has been happening to you. The blackouts, your issues with your eyes."

For some reason, there was no anger in her. This was the assassin, yet there was nothing. "Did you do something to me? Did you drug me? What do you want? Why does the New Dawn want Raven dead?"

"You're jumping to conclusions. I never said I was the one who attacked her. I was certainly there. From my perspective, it seemed the assailant took advantage of your issue to attack Raven, then fled before you could awaken."

"Convenient. So how do you know what's wrong with me?"

"I've…encountered this before. This isn't the first time I've seen someone with silver eyes blackout from using their powers."

"So, what you're telling me is that you're completely innocent then. You just so happen to be a benevolent bystander, watching me from the shadows, never doing anything wrong _or_ helping out, is that it?"

"Innocent? No. Bystander? No. Never doing anything wrong? Yes. Helping out? I do from time to time. It seems this is the first time we've formally met. And I can help you. Cure you of what ails you."

"Fine. I'll humor you. How can you "cure" me?" She couldn't be certain, but the way Morgan's eyes narrowed seemed proof that she had smiled at the question.

"Follow me. There are a few people we will need to visit. Those with silver eyes can gain mastery over their abilities by going on a certain sort of pilgrimage. We won't have a lot of time and you'll have to minimize distractions. I promise you. I can help." There was concern in her voice.

Ruby frowned, glared at Morgan, gauging her. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You'll just have to. Ultimately you have final say, but I urge you to follow me."

Should she? If she really wanted to, she could just defeat her, right? Who could stop her now, with how powerful she was? She just needed the element of surprise. Especially with her blackouts. "Fine. I'll follow you on this so-called pilgrimage. Under one condition. I get to keep Full Rose with me at all times."

Again, Morgan's eyes narrowed in that same, creepy way as if smiling. "So be it. I wouldn't have it any other way."

They left the house though they waited for the storm to stop. What time was it? How long had she been out? It was night time. She checked her pockets for her scroll though couldn't seem to find it. Did Morgan take it? She gave Morgan a look. "So what sort of pilgrimage is this? What needs to happen for these blackouts to stop happening? And how do you know they're connected to my silver eyes?" She walked close behind Morgan as they trudged on foot on the roads of Anima.

Morgan didn't talk. She paused for a few moments before she spoke up to respond to her questions. "Because I've seen it before. Like I said. Overuse of silver eyes leads to blacking out. I've even seen cases where the blackouts don't happen immediately after usage. I've seen powerful warriors bearing those legendary silver eyes lose their lives because they assumed the two weren't connected just because they happened at seemingly unrelated times."

 _Is that so…_ She had never heard anything about blackouts before. "So, you didn't answer my questions about what sort of trip this is and how it'll help me."

"When you first manifested the power in your eyes, when did it happen? In fact, every time your eyes flared up, in what emotional position where you in? What did you perceive?"

"Stress and great danger. It always happened when I perceived great danger directed toward my friends."

"That's right. There has to be a darkness. A darkness in the world. That darkness has to fill your heart for the light to burst forth. Purity won't cut it."

A darkness? Before it had been light. Though she didn't doubt that there could be another way. Then again, what she said _did_ make sense. If there wasn't a darkness then she probably wouldn't have the desire to protect anybody. "So, what do I need to do?" Her expression became stern.

"Like I said before. We need to visit a few people. You've gained control over your powers to the point where you can use them almost freely, but there is a cost. You've vanquished most of your own darkness and thus an imbalance has been created. We are going to restore that balance." She stopped and turned around to face her. "The balance of light and darkness in your soul. Darkness is the fuel for your power. Without it you draw from your own life."

She stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened. "What? I never heard anything about that!" Did Maria know about this? Probably not. Morgan was probably lying.

"Why would you? Who could've told you this? Most silver eyed warriors themselves don't even know this fact. I only know from observing many of them, studying them." She turned back around and continued walking.

Ruby followed along. "How convenient," She muttered under her breath. She was obviously lying, though why she didn't know. What was her game? If she wanted her dead, she could have killed her while she had been unconscious. At this point, she needed to just keep following her to figure this woman out. She never dropped the idea that this woman could be the one who almost killed her aunt. Perhaps that was it. For whatever reason, she needed her alive. Maybe to hurt her family. Perhaps she needed information. Whatever the case, she'd humor Morgan until she couldn't afford to any longer. She could at least give her that much; the last thing she would want to do is harm an innocent.

As they reached each town they came across, Ruby took the time to help people. Nothing too time consuming, but while Morgan searched around for the people she was looking for, Ruby herself took the opportunity to help around town. From small things like helping restock storehouses and killing grimm near the outskirts of town, to bigger things like small escort missions involving trade caravans. Although the work was never too time consuming, it always seemed to bother Morgan. Every time she helped somebody it would seem like Morgan would get distracted by it.

The tone in her voice was always restrained and aggravated. She couldn't be certain _why_ Morgan was getting so annoyed, although she could probably guess; it didn't matter though. If Morgan had such a problem with it, then she could just ignore her.

They reached another village. Again, Morgan scanned around, searching for someone. "I'm going to check the tavern. Try not to get in my way, we don't need to be here long."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ruby said.

"It means we don't need to waste time giving a damn about everyone's problems. You're supposed to be a huntress, not a babysitter. We're supposed to be creating darkness in you to balance out the light, remember?"

"Well huntsman and huntresses are supposed to help people. That's literally _why_ we exist." She sassed. "Besides, if I have to give up helping people to restore my power—like you claim I need to—then I'll just live without them."

Morgan stopped in her tracks and paused. She turned around. "You are still so naïve. Of course, you are." She scoffed.

"What is your problem?" Ruby yelled. "Why is it such a big deal if I help people? Why are you in such a hurry?" She didn't seem to care that she was yelling in the middle of town, nor did the townsfolk.

"My _problem_ is that it's a _waste of time_." She hissed. You help them, great! Wonderful! Amazing! Their lives are just sooo great now! No more problems! Oh wait! They're _weak,_ Ruby. _That's_ why they need help. Their weakness dooms them. They'll squander your aid, and they'll need help again, and again, and again, and it'll never end till they get eaten by grimm or die in some other way!"

Did she really just say these things? She _hated_ people like that. People who couldn't see the value in helping others, giving them a chance. "You're wrong! They may not be able to defend themselves, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth helping them. It isn't my business what they do with their lives afterward; if they squander it, then fine! At least they had that choice to begin with!"

Morgan's fist clenched. "You have got to be kidding me! I literally can't understand that! Help me understand that!"

"Then what _should_ we be doing? You haven't done anything except criticize me and get in my way so far!"

"Get in your way? Get in _your_ way?" Now Morgan was yelling. "Y-you ignorant little girl! Fine, I'll tell you!" Morgan pointed outside the village, leaning forward toward Ruby. "We fight. We hunt down the monsters that cause the problems in the first place!"

The villagers gave passing glances toward Morgan, seemingly uninterested though some of them were giving her odd looks. One of them walked up to her. "Is there something wrong, miss?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine," Morgan said.

"Oh, alright." The villager paused and cautiously walked off.

Ruby waited for them to be outside of earshot. "There's more to being a huntress than killing grimm. That's why I _help_!"

Morgan paused, her arm returned to her side, and her posture relaxed. "I wasn't just talking about the grimm…"

Ruby's eyes widened.

"Tell me. When was the last time the grimm did anything to hurt you or your friends? When was the last time the grimm were solely or _mostly_ responsible for any major tragedy?"

She didn't have a response. Morgan was right— _technically_ right—but still right. That didn't mean she was morally right, though. All she could do in the moment however was furrow her brow—her way of putting her foot down.

Morgan's eyes narrowed, but it wasn't the creepy smile sort of narrow she saw before; it seemed she didn't like the look she was getting. "I'm going to check the tavern. _Please_ don't get in my way." Her voice was…sincere? Or was it sad? She couldn't tell.

Ruby capitulated; she didn't say anything, but she dropped the look, and Morgan seemed to respond by turning around and walking toward the tavern. Guess she should at least follow if nothing else.

Inside the tavern, Morgan walked up to one of the waiters who greeted her as she entered. "There might be an altercation. Just thought I'd warn you."

The waiter's eyes widened, his arms rose as if to cower. "Please don't make a scene, we don't want any trouble!"

"Don't worry. I have business with…a rogue agent and there's the possibility it might get dirty." She looked over at a table in the far back as she spoke, having turned her head from the waiter.

Ruby was behind her and partially obscured by the wall to see who it was, so she kept her gaze on Morgan.

"A-alright, just please, try to settle things peacefully!" The waiter was clearly on edge now, sweat poured down his face.

Morgan didn't respond, neither verbally or with a gesture. She simply walked toward the back of the tavern where the table she was looking at was placed.

She followed her, scanning the tavern as she walked; she looked at all the tables and people. Her gaze turned toward the table and noticed the man sitting at it. A familiar face—a man in a drunken stupor, clearly not having had a good day in years. She could only express shock as she recognized the man as a worn out Tyrian Callows. "Tyrian? Why are _you_ here?" She turned to face Morgan. "Is this the person you've been looking for? Why?"

Tyrian ignored Ruby, but raised his head to look at Morgan, whom he didn't seem to recognize. "Who the hell are you?" He slurred.

Morgan turned to Ruby. "He's one of them. I've had…business with him in the past. Good to see he hasn't changed. Still the broken husk he was back then. Only less disguised…" She turned back to address Tyrian who surprisingly ignored her comments. "Tyrian…" Morgan raised her hand to her face and took off her mask.

She tried to take a look but couldn't see as her face was still obscured by the hood. She glanced over at Tyrian whose eyes widened in disbelief. Morgan put her mask back on as Tyrian's face turned from disbelief to one of pure rage.

"You! It's you!" His eyes filled with bloodlust. He lunged from the table and assaulted Morgan but tripped over himself.

Morgan withdrew a sword—one Ruby didn't recognize, like it was blurred—and flipped over Tyrian, landing behind him. In a swift movement, she sliced off his tail as close to the tailbone as possible.

Tyrian writhed in agony, tears streaming down his face. "Y-you're a monster! A monster!"

Ruby felt frozen, unable to react. She stood there and gazed as Morgan took the sword and plunged it deep into his chest as the commotion that she just now noticed erupted into an outburst of screams and stampeding feet. His chest. The act called forth the memories of a bloodied Raven with her _own_ sword plunged into her chest. She looked at Morgan and glared. An accusatory glare as she pulled out Full Rose.

Morgan looked at her. "Please don't. Don't interfere. Not here, not now. It needed to be done. You need to see this!"

"He wasn't a threat to anyone! He was _drunk_!"

"And this is your problem! You're too damn merciful! You don't know that! He could have been on a few killing sprees by now! He's skilled enough to hide from the authorities!" Morgan looked around and relaxed her posture. "We need to leave. _Now_." Morgan bolted outside through the front, dodging the crowd.

Ruby felt compelled to follow. She couldn't let this woman get away with hurting anyone else!

The both of them ran and ran, far outside the village and deep into a forest, trees close together. She could hear grimm closing in, yet as they stopped, the grimm didn't draw any closer. Morgan turned around and faced her. "There was no other way, Ruby. This is how evil is stopped! Not by helping the weak, but by destroying the source of the suffering! By becoming that which evil fears!"

"There's a better way! You don't need to be the greater evil just to fight it! All that does is perpetuate a vicious cycle! There needs to be some light in the world and not just a cycle of death!"

"Did you save the world by helping people? By stopping and helping every broken old man unable to pick himself up? By giving candy to every crying child and stopping every small-time thug? I don't think you did! You did it by _destroying_ your enemies! By defeating them in combat!"

"That's because those people never gave me a choice! Besides, they were misguided, not evil!"

"It doesn't matter what the motivations are! Evil is evil!"

"Right now, the only evil here is right in front of me." Ruby withdrew Full Rose, ready to pull out the Grimm Reaper. Her weapon extended, the moving parts began to protrude out into a long lance which then released a blade on both sides of the head as it curved, transforming into a large scythe blade.

"I do what is necessary when no one else can! When everyone else is too damn afraid to try! When they give up too easily!"

There was no point arguing anymore. She needed to be stopped. She wouldn't kill her of course, but she had to stop her.

Morgan seemed to relax. "It's your choice, but you _know_ I'm right. Deep down, you know. Please, don't get in my way. Not now. We have one more person to meet and then I'll give you what you want, even though I don't understand it. Please, just…follow me for a little bit longer." Her voice was shaken, like she was desperate.

She couldn't ignore it. She knew that Morgan was probably trying to take advantage of her kindness. Evil people always did, but they always got what was coming to them. She retracted Full Rose and returned it to her lower back. "Fine. But no more killing."

Morgan stood there. A moment passed. And then another. It felt like almost a minute before she spoke up again. "Fine. As you say. No more killing. I can live with that. I'll find another way then."

"Good. Now where are we going?"

She turned around. "Follow me."

They walked and walked and walked all the way till sunrise. Her feet didn't hurt though. She was oddly still wide awake and high-energy. Exhaustion never set in. She noticed Morgan getting droopy from time to time. It was obvious that she was forcing herself to go on, to stay awake. "Hey, why don't we get some rest—"

"No! We're almost to the next village. Just a little longer. Or don't you want this to be over?" She looked over her shoulder.

Ruby scowled. "Fine. Have it your way. Just saying. Looked like you needed it."

There was a pause, a long pause as Morgan kept walking with her following close behind. "I don't have that luxury anymore. Not right now anyway."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're weird you know that."

"Right back at you."


	2. Prologue 2

**Prologue – Reflection**

* * *

Ruby and Morgan walked for what seemed to be another hour before finally reaching the next town. As soon as they walked to the large open part of the village—which seemed to be the market—Ruby noticed Morgan had stopped in her tracks. She looked forward at the center of the market and noticed Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury there—still together after all these years.

They were still wearing familiar outfits, particularly Cinder, who wore her usual red, gold, and black color scheme. She let her hair grow out again. However, unlike before she wasn't covering up either of her arms. It made sense. Their final battle resulted in Ruby purifying the grimm parasite inside her, almost killing her as a result, but returning her to normal. Well, normal for Cinder. She heard from Qrow that the three of them were independent now, although she couldn't possibly guess as to what they would be doing with their free time.

She looked over to Morgan again and frowned. A thought popped into her head, a realization. The person that Morgan was looking for before was Tyrian. The argument they had prior, she quickly guessed what Morgan was thinking. Cinder was the person she was looking for, and considering what happened with Tyrian, this couldn't end well. "Morgan are yo—"

Morgan shushed her. "It's almost over now. Just let me do this." She walked up to Cinder. Her pace was slow.

As she got closer, Emerald turned to face her which caused Cinder to notice. Ruby walked up beside her. "Hey, Cinder! Be careful! She's dangerous!"

Cinder didn't respond. She didn't even seem to notice her. "And who are you? I'm not very fond of strangers walking up to me unsolicited, especially not ones with a garish sense of fashion."

"No, you wouldn't be. You _were_ always vain. You still are. Is it the insecurity? Knowing you're a failure who needed the help of an ancient entity to be _adequate,_ and even then, you still somehow sucked?"

"What are you doing? You know who this is, you can't fight her here, not in the middle of town!"

Cinder glared at Morgan. "Look, I don't know who you are or why you're here, but I'd appreciate it if you back off. I'm not interested in fighting a lowlife."

Morgan scoffed. "And here I thought you had some intelligence. You know who I am."

* * *

Yang walked down the hallway, carrying a case of freshly cleaned clothes—bloodstains removed. She walked into the hospital room where her mother was sleeping. Dad was there, slouched in a chair watching the news. He seemed bored out of his mind, though he would look over at Mom from time to time. "Hey, I'm back."

"Hey, you can just put them by the bed," Dad said, lazily.

"Maybe you should get some rest." Yang walked over to the foot of the bed where Mom's feet were and placed the fresh case of laundry on top of the box.

Dad yawned. "Yeah, I think I will. Wake me up if Qrow, Ruby, or Oscar calls."

That's right. They had gotten a call from Oscar stating that something had happened, though he never specified what. He didn't even follow up with anymore messages. She hoped nothing bad happened. Though, there was no way the assailant could take either of them down. Especially not her little sister. "Alright, will do."

Mom moved, turning to the side and then to the other. Her eyes strained and then she opened them.

"Dad! Mom's awake!" She rushed over to her side.

Dad bolted up from the chair and joined her. "Hey! How you feelin?"

She grunted. She forced herself to sit up. "Like garbage. What happ—" Her eyes widened. Her expression shifted to one of remembrance and then sadness, then confusion.

"You took a pretty big hit. Almost died. You had us worried! Do you remember anything? Like who attacked you?" Yang said.

She got a little frantic. "Where's Ruby? What about the dragon?"

"Hey relax! The dragon's dead. Ruby was out with Oscar looking for who attacked you. Qrow went searching for clues too," Dad said.

Her eyes narrowed. " _Was_? Where's Oscar now?"

"Looking for Ruby. Something happened, though Oscar didn't tell us what." Yang said.

Mom looked down. Her face look confused again although it shifted over to sadness. "I didn't actually think…never did I think something like that would happen."

Yang leaned in. "What? What is it?"

"Something about your attacker? Who was it? What did they look like?" Dad said.

There was a pause. Mom shifted around a bit, feeling her chest. The spot where the wound was. "Ruby."

" _What_?" Yang said. No way. Mom was just a bit delirious from just waking up from a near-fatal wound.

She looked up to her and with a tear streaking down her cheek, spoke with a shivered voice, "It was Ruby. She attacked me. The moment the dragon attacked, she just went berserk! I—I was caught off guard, and then…"

"What? Why in the hell would she do that?!" Dad snapped.

Mom winced. "I—I don't know. I'm just telling you what happened! I have no idea what drove her to do that, but she did."

"Mom." Yang paused. This was all so sudden. Why in the world would Ruby try to kill Mom? There's no way she'd ever do something like that though she had no reason to doubt Mom, not after all the time they'd spent together. Not now. "You're not lying to me, are you?" She looked at her, with a stern look.

Her eyes dropped. "No." She looked back up at her. "Why would I? Why would I blame _Ruby_ of all people of something she'd never do?"

Yang let out a sigh. "Alright. I believe you." She turned over to Dad. "Something's up with Ruby. The blackouts and now this?"

Dad nodded and took out his scroll, walking over to an open space away from the bed. "I'll call Oscar and Qrow and tell them to find Ruby as soon as possible; let them know she might be a danger at the moment."

"Thank you, Yang." Mom said, her voice having calmed.

Yang smiled. "Hey. No problem. Now rest up!"

* * *

"Do I? You're wearing a mask, so forgive me if I don't recall the voice of a coward who can't even show their face!" Cinder's voice raised, although it wasn't quite a yell.

"I was there. Atop Beacon Tower. I was there when you shot an arrow through Pyrrha's heart and then incinerated her," Morgan hissed.

Ruby backed up. What was she saying? That made no sense! The only people who were there were her and Cinder! There's no way she'd—

Morgan turned to glare at her, Cinder not seeming to notice, still keeping her own glare fixated on Morgan. She turned back to Cinder. "I was the one who scarred that pretty face of yours, along with half your body, and I would have done _so_ much more had my body not been so weak!"

Cinder's expression turned to one of surprise and then one of anger. "Ruby? What's this about? It's been years, I thought we'd settled that! What's the big idea?" Cinder yelled.

Ruby kept backing up. Her headache returned. The headache she had completely forgotten about. A flood of emotions came rushing in. Images bombarded her, too fast for her to make out. Anger, frustration, disbelief—emotions overwhelmed her. A single image, one she recognized. A sword? Raven's sword—she…it was her. The other images began to unravel as she slowly understood what they were.

There she was, facing down the grimm dragon. Raven withdrew her sword and she readied herself with Rose Petals before blacking out. No. Remember. Remember properly. There was a flood of anger. A sense of opportunity. To fix things! To carry out justice like she should have a long time ago! People like Raven didn't deserve a second chance and they certainly didn't deserve happine—she grabbed her head and squirmed. What was happening to her?

"Let it happen, Ruby. This is for the best. Your way was a fluke. Mine is better. We'll fix the world. Although this time, you'll be taking the back seat." Morgan turned to face Ruby, with Cinder not seeming to notice. "This time, _you_ will be the one repressed! The one who gets pushed around and silenced! This time, I'll be the one making the excuses and then putting all of the guilt, shame, worry, and fear—all onto you! Just like you did me," She shouted, rage laced with every word.

Ruby watched—tears streaming down her face—as Morgan lowered her hood and let her mask fall to the ground. The face, the head revealed a woman who looked exactly like her in every way, save for the golden eyes. Then, Morgan somehow withdrew Full Rose.

"I'm going to fix all of your mistakes! Don't worry, I'm still you. Our family won't notice the difference. I'll find an excuse, a way to explain it. You just sit tight and watch closely!" Full Rose transformed into the Grimm Reaper. Morgan took a vicious swing at Cinder's neck.

* * *

Cinder ducked the scythe. Ruby tried to behead her! And here she thought they settled their differences. She ducked another attempted beheading. Who knew Ruby would turn out to be the backstabber. Emerald and Mercury jumped backward as they both got into their fighting stances. She rebuffed Ruby with a funnel of wind. She couldn't deny that something was up with Ruby; she didn't have golden eyes before. An imposter?

"Ruby! What's wrong with you?" Emerald yelled.

Ruby swirled at Cinder like a giant red bullet. She sidestepped away. Ruby swerved around and flew at her again. She spun around her—faster and faster—forming a whirlwind of rose petals. She gritted her teeth and focused. Her muscles twitched, her heart raced as she tried to keep her head clear and her senses primed. She ducked from a swing as a part of her hair got chipped away.

She turned around, sidestepping a swing. She swung down, creating a blade of flame as she did. Ruby swerved to the side while countering with a swing of her own. She swung upward to block it, a blade forming in her other hand to clash with the scythe. The sword shattered, her arm buckled from the impact, and she felt pain shoot up her arm. _Where_ _did Ruby get this strength?_

Ruby sneered and flashed over to Emerald—who, before she could react—was cut down her torso. Emerald's aura broke as she yelled. "You bitch!" Cinder yelled, flying over to her. Guess that answers that. Whatever was up with Ruby didn't matter. As Ruby went down for another swing to finish Emerald off, Cinder—with her right hand—buffeted away Mercury—and with her left—blocked the downward swing with a shield of solid flame. A shock coursed through her body as the shield shattered. "I'll give you one chance, Ruby! Stop right now, or I won't hold back!"

"Don't bother. I want you at your best. I want to see your pride fizzle away before I kill you!" Ruby wasn't fooling around. There was clear bloodlust emanating from her. _So much for forgiveness,_ she thought.

* * *

Ruby looked around. She walked over a dark landscape; it was a void with a dark red sky, and a full moon high up above. Every step she took rippled beneath her like she was walking on water. Where was she? She was with Morgan before. They were the same person and Morg—her—she attacked Cinder. What happened then? She didn't remember.

An image of Raven formed in the water. Then one of Cinder. The water became violent as she fell into it. It dragged her deep below as her vision blurred. Her mind became filled with images of Penny dying, of Pyrrha dying, of Beacon falling, of her uncle's despair—hundreds of images passed her, flashed passed her faster and faster— as she failed to make out most of them. She fell deeper and deeper as she squirmed and squirmed. She hit ground though she didn't get winded. She rose up to her feet and scanned her environment. There was nothing around her save for the pure-white platform beneath her feet. "Hello?" Nothing, not even an echo.

"Just stay put and be quiet." A reverberating voice said. Her voice. There was an anger in her voice. It sounded like it encompassed everything around her.

"What's going on? What did you do?"

"I took control." Her own voice thundered through the void; it was dominant, overbearing, absolute. "Your way won't work. Being the hero won't work. There's still so much work to be done. Work you've been blind to because of your light. However I, unlike you, can see clearly. The world has changed, Ruby. I need to be there. Where once there was darkness for you to fight back, now there is light and I _must_ do the same. Please understand."

"There's another way!" Her voice felt like it was being muffled. Like it was trapped, unable to escape her breath. "We don't have to kill!" She forced. "There _are_ people who can help! Weiss! She's currently running the SDC, she has a lot of influence, she can help! Blake is the leader of the White Fang now, remember? She has control over a lot of resources as well. We don't have to do this, we can do it the way we've always done it!"

"They are light!" Her voice raged across the void. "They can't help! They won't understand! They'd turn you against me! They'll treat me like a parasite, a demon in your heart!"

"That's not true, and you know it! We can't just abandon them!"

"We will if we must."

"Yang. What about her? Will you abandon her too?"

Nothing.

"You're not evil! You have a heart, I _know_ you understand me, what I believe!"

"The same goes for you. Light and Dark are not good and evil. You know me, understand me. You know there is no other way. The grimm are outdated and our hero's journey has only just begun. We were just a little girl, Ruby! Things are different now."

* * *

The energy from their clash tore the ground where they stood. Cinder flew backward, regaining her bearings. Ruby glared at her with golden eyes. She seemed…spaced out. Cinder charged—dual blades in hand—barreling toward her. At the last moment, just before she could end this nonsense, Ruby ceased spacing out and ducked; she formed a hammer and swung it down as Cinder reeled away as it shattered the ground.

Ruby spaced out again. What the hell was going on?

"What's wrong with her?" Mercury asked. They both walked up beside her.

"Em, how's your aura? Can you use your semblance?" Cinder never took her eyes off the spaced out foe in front of her.

"No, I still need to wait for a bit."

"We have to neutralize her. Knock her unconscious. I would imagine her friends and family are probably looking for her. There's no way her behavior would have gone unnoticed. This is too out of the ordinary for that."

Mercury got back into his fighting stance. "Got it."

Ruby came back to and lunged at Cinder—fueled by her Semblance—as she spun into a wheel of rose petals, the blade of her scythe streaking around like a blade on the wheel. "Em, get back! Leave this to us!" Mercury yelled as the both of them sidestepped out of the way. Ruby landed on her feet, skidding across the ground as she corrected her movement into a spin, swinging her scythe out viciously as a wave of force buffeted Cinder and Mercury away as they landed safely on the ground.

She ducked another attempted beheading and blasted Ruby away with a fireball to the gut. Ruby landed gracefully and formed two swords, blazed toward Mercury as her signature red bullet, stopped above him, and swung down at him with a cross slash. Mercury flipped backward and broke into a breakdance, unleashing all the dust he could out into his own whirlwind. Cinder lit the dust aflame as each now-fireball came crashing down upon Ruby in a violent, ever-growing explosion.

* * *

She kept yelling. Nothing. She yelled for what felt like minutes. No response. She didn't get frustrated however. Maybe that's because all the frustration she could possibly have at the moment was all being used by her other half. In fact, she felt nothing. No anger, no frustration. Nothing, except sadness. That's all she could feel. _Think, Ruby, think!_ Though her other self could probably hear every thought she had. Could she stop her though? Would even knowing her thoughts matter? What was _she_ thinking?

She closed her eyes and tried to focus. Nothing. Though she felt something. She focused harder. There was a light. Harder. The light grew brighter and she saw shapes. People? She saw Cinder and Mercury trying to fend her off. Mercury flipped away from her and danced, shooting out dust as was his style. She was seeing through her. It was such an odd feeling. She had no control. She tried to read her other self's thoughts though there was still nothing. No. There _was_ something. It was focus, though not hers. Her mind was clear. She was trying to stay focused. Her other self's bloodlust hit her like a freight train as she was violently forced out of her own senses, and back onto the white platform surrounded by nothing but a void.

She had to try something different. She reflected on her past. All the times her silver eyes had worked. She recalled her other half's words, specifically the part where darkness was fuel for her power, despite that not being true. She thought on how Morgan must have been here. If she intended on reversing their positions, then perhaps she was where Morgan was before. _I was there. At Beacon Tower._ She remembered her words. She assumed that in that moment, the shock, the pain, the grief, and the anger all stirred her other half into awakening. Perhaps it could work in reverse somehow?

She planted her feet and focused. On positive emotions. On love, on joy, on peace. She focused on thoughts of her mother, those she could remember. She focused on memories of her and Yang, playing together, and Yang taking care of her whenever she got hurt or was afraid. She focused on her friends at Signal, on the times she had there. She focused on her entering Beacon a prodigy—entering two years earlier than normal.

* * *

Ruby walked through the dust cloud, aura flickering, yet still engaged. Those golden eyes were eerie. What happened to Ruby and what did those eyes mean? What happened to her silver eyes? Cinder moved her right foot backward and cocked her left hand up, ready to fire.

As Ruby walked forward, bearing that sneer of hers, her golden eyes flickered, and for an instant—just an instant—she could have sworn she saw them turn silver again. It didn't seem to be an illusion; Ruby's smirk vanished, she was frustrated as she charged again with her scythe.

Cinder unleashed a cascade of flame toward Ruby, but she cleaved right through it, spinning through the flames at her as a wheel of death made of roses. She ducked under the spinning scythe and released another blast toward her back. Ruby pivoted on her foot as she landed and dodged through each of Mercury's kicked blasts along with the fireballs.

Cinder charged to meet her as the both of them unleashed a flurry of blows, each countering the other. She could feel the shockwaves through her arms, the strength behind each of Ruby's blows. This really wasn't just some sort of act or trick. Ruby really was intent on killing her. _I thought you were the forgiving type. Strength in forgiveness, remember?_ She thought. She believed it too. Ruby was always the merciful, goody-goody type. Once she saw it as a weakness, but now she saw it as simply another facet of strength. One she didn't even consider herself capable of, but a facet of strength, nonetheless.

Again, another flurry of blows, each being blocked or parried. She had to break Ruby's aura. She trusted Emerald and Mercury to take the hit as a sign to finish the job and with that trust, put everything into her next few attacks.

* * *

She could feel something. She noticed the platform flicker. She pushed the thought that it was a bad thing from out of her head and kept reflecting. Weiss. When she met Weiss and earned her friendship. When she met Penny and when the two of them became friends. She kept remembering. Every good memory from her childhood all the way till now. The successes, the friendships, the time spent together. Seeing everyone happy, she remembered it all.

"Stop!" Her voice thundered.

Over and over again. She remembered. She remembered the light of hope being lit in Qrow's eyes again. She remembered the happiness Ozpin had felt in the end. She remembered all the conversations and jokes with the rest of team RWBY. The smiles on the faces of their friends and family.

"I said stop!"

She thought about the future. She saw herself playing with Ren and Nora's three kids, two boys and a girl. She saw herself hanging out with Weiss after she got some free time off as president where they would go on a mission together, just like old times. She saw Jaune become a truly great huntsman, a professor at Beacon; someone every new huntsman and huntress looked up to and wanted to emulate.

Light surged forth from beneath her feet, the platform shattered, as she plummeted downward, but she kept going. She thought about her and Raven spending time together, hoping Raven would forgive her. Her family now. Mom was gone, but Yang had Raven now, and they were a family. That was a good thing. That _was_ a good thing!

She crashed through the surface of the water and landed on top of it. It was solid again.

* * *

Ruby was knocked backward. She missed her opportunity to break her aura. Ruby readied herself for another charge, and then—

She screamed and gripped her head and fell to her knees. "Stop!"

Cinder noticed her eyes flickering between gold and silver. "Mercury, now!"

"On it!" Mercury charged as Cinder followed suit from the other side, carrying with her a torrent of flame. Ruby focused on Cinder, still gripping her head, clearly distracted. Tears streaked down Ruby's face as she dodged the torrent of flame, but Mercury landed a hit on Ruby's side, launching her back; her aura dissipated.

Ruby screamed again as light burst forth from her eyes. The light was a bright white and utterly blinding. It grew and grew as the both of them leaped away from it as it peaked in size.

* * *

Her surroundings turned pure white. The darkness gone. She was simply in a blank space now. Standing before her was her other half, solemn in expression. "You're going to reject me again. Leave me behind. Lock me away."

"No. Not this time."

Her other half looked up, surprised.

"But I can't let you do whatever you want. We can't be a monster! We have to be the light in the darkness. Help me be that. You were right. There _is_ still work to be done. With your help, I know I can do it. The _right_ way!" Ruby extended her hand toward her. "Please."

Her other half looked at the hand and just starred at it. "Fine. Just…don't lock me away again." She took the hand. Light came from it. Light _and_ darkness. It enveloped the both of them, smothering them. There was a warmth. And…a sense of relief. Like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. A weight she never knew she had. Time passed. An hour? Two? A day? How long had it been?

She opened her eyes. She was inside a building. She turned her head toward the window on the wall and noticed that it was night time now. Were they in the same village?

"Seems like you're finally awake." A familiar, feminine voice said.

She looked to the other side and noticed Cinder there, sitting on a chair. "Cinder?" She slowly sat up. She was on a sofa. "Where are Emerald and Mercury? What happened?"

"I could ask you the same thing. As for those two, they're out getting supplies. We won't be here long." Cinder stared at her.

"Ummm," Ruby said, nervously.

"Your eyes are back to normal. I take it that means you aren't crazy anymore?"

"My eyes? What happened to them?"

"They were gold. Your light was different too. _You_ were different."

"Oh, right. Yeah, I…guess I'm fine now. I uh. Sorry. That…wasn't me. Well, it was, but it wasn't. It's complicated. I'm still figuring it out myself."

"It's fine. We'll be going shortly, but you should stay here. I've contacted Qrow with your scroll, so he should drop by soon." With that, she stood up from the chair and walked out of the house, but before she exited, she stopped. "If you ever encounter anyone named Anastasia Vest, let me know." She threw a card at her. "My scroll number."

Ruby caught the card. "Who?"

"Don't worry about it." She continued out the door.

"Where are you going to go, anyway?"

Cinder stopped again. "Mistral." She walked out and shut the door.

Ruby felt a surge of embarrassment and worry. They went on a wild goose chase, all to look for an assailant that was her the whole time. What was Dad going to think? And Qrow? Raven probably hated her now. And _Yang_ …The last thing she wanted now was to see them, fearing what they would say. She just wanted to curl up into a ball under her covers and pretend none of this happened.

 _Tell them the truth_ , a familiar, intrusive thought occurred, though this time, it wasn't really unwanted. Her eyes widened. And then she smiled. "Yeah, you're right. I should just be honest." She took a deep stuttered breath. "There's nothing to worry about."

For the next hour, she fiddled around the house, whistling, flipping books over, watching tv, reading comics on her scroll. She just waited around, bored—bored and anxious. She had watched Cinder and the others leave. They didn't seem to harbor any ill will. Mercury just asked if she still needed a straitjacket and that he knew a guy who could get one. She just laughed— _nervously_ —but laughed.

A knock came at the door. _Oh boy, here we go._ She thought. She took another deep breath and got up from the sofa and walked toward the door. She looked at the knob for a moment. Then came another knock and she open the door.

There standing at the door way was Qrow. A solemn look, but one that had a smile on it. "Hey there, kiddo. You ready to go home?"

She smiled, a tear fell down her cheek. She hugged him. "Yeah. Let's go home."

"Although we've got a lot to talk about. You had us all worried, you know."

She let go. "Yeah. I know."

They walked outside the house and as they walked toward the village exit, Ruby spotted an airship there; there she noticed the people who took her to Oniyuri a few days ago, back before all of this started.

"I called an airship. Figured it would be quicker."

She looked to Qrow and furrowed her brow. Was he not going to ask her anything? "Why didn't you just have Raven make us a portal?" She…felt like she knew the answer to that.

"Well, Raven is still recovering from a bit of internal bleeding, so we didn't want to strain her much."

Suddenly, a loud roar in the distance. It was a familiar roar, yet distinct. It sounded like a grimm dragon. Though there was a rippling violence that echoed as it roared—a sort of energy.

They both turned around as a large plume of flame came streaming down toward them like a flamethrower. They dodged out of the way as the airship exploded. Ruby caught her bearings and looked out as the flames dissipated as the creature landed close by. It was definitely a dragon, but it wasn't a grimm dragon; it was a dragon made entirely of dust—fire dust.

"What the hell is that?" Qrow yelled, as he rushed over to her side.

"I have no idea. We've never even seen something like that before!"

There was a figure, a silhouette atop the dragon's back, but before either of them could make it out, the dragon's dust shifted colors into wind dust. The dragon exhaled a powerful torrent of wind as it blew them back. They stood their ground, using their weapons to keep them in place, though the winds tore the ground apart, as well as bits and pieces of their clothes, somehow bypassing their aura. _That's a dangerous wind,_ she thought as it stopped. The dragon's color shifted again to red as it breathed out a funnel of flame in their direction as they reeled out of the way. Its heat was intense, with its colors unusually bright. The speed at which it burned was unreal as it erased all the buildings that had been behind them. They strafed closer to it together, at an angle as it turned to try and hit them with the flamethrower.

She managed to catch a glimpse of the figure atop the dragon—a person covered in armor, its features shrouded by both the night and the shadows cast by the light of the dragon's flame. "Do you see that? The person on the dragon?"

"Yeah," He responded. "Pretty sure taking them down won't stop the dragon so let's focus on that first."

"Got it!" Ruby flew over to the side of the dragon with her semblance, transforming Full Rose into Steel Stem. _Let's see if your tips really work, Nora!_ As she reached its side, faster than it could turn its flamethrower, she crashed into it and right as she hit it, she pulled the trigger. The side cracked, shards of dust blew apart, as the energy from the impact tore out into a shockwave.

A loud screech came from the beast. It spun around and swung its tail at her as she flew over it. It crashed into the side of a building connected to a larger building near the dragon; the second building collapsed over it. She landed away from it as Qrow rushed up beside her. "Nice work!" They took a few steps back and transformed both their weapons into guns. They aimed at the beast which was still partly protruding from out of the rubble. The debris and smoke that formed from the impact clouded their vision, but just a bit.

As it began to move, they fired at it. It charged forward, suddenly yellow in color, surrounded by electricity. It was much faster than before; they barely dodged in time.

 _Ruby use your eyes!_

 _What? But that only works on grimm!_

 _I…feel like that's changed._

She glared at it, focused on it. Qrow figured out what she was doing and quickly lunged to the opposite side, attempting to get its attention—which worked. It was risky, but the dragon left Ruby unguarded. She focused and focused until an immense white-black light burst forth from her eyes, the dragon screeched as it seared and cracked; the ground quaked in the wake of the light. However, as it leered in pain, the armored figure atop the dragon shifted. "No. Not this time." The light faded, it flickered away in an instant. The dragon definitely took heavy damage, but it was still capable of moving just as easily as before.

Qrow transformed into a bird and flew over to Ruby as the dragon took on a guarded, cautious stance, seemingly gauging them. "What happened?"

"I–I don't know," Ruby said.

The man jumped off the dragon. His blackened armor, accentuated with dark green cloth with white sleeves underneath, glistened in the remnant flames that trailed across the battlefield as he walked over them; the flames flickered and disappeared with his steps as he pulled off the weapon from his back. A greataxe. A wind picked up, billowing his dark green cape. "Greetings, Ruby Rose…" The man said.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She yelled.

He didn't respond. She felt an aura on him. A _powerful_ aura. There was an odd feeling to it. She looked over to the dragon as it lurched forward, though it slowly regained its strength as the dust began to reform. It healed. It was like it was never injured in the first place, and she could swear it was slightly bigger than before.

Behind them, a portal opened; _Raven's_ portal. Ruby felt a surge of anxiety and guilt rush over her as her aunt—still bandaged—stepped through.

Raven looked out and noticed the scene. "Quick! Hurry! Through my portal!"

The both of them turned around and bolted through the portal as it closed. They didn't even bother to check if the man or the dragon charged at them or not. They made it safely through back in Patch. On the other side—Dad, Yang, Oscar, Glynda, and Ironwood were waiting.

"What's going on?" Qrow asked. "James, what's up? Something happen?"

They all turned to Ruby. "Yes. Well. I heard a little bit of what happened, so I'll let you…talk it through first. I come bearing news—unrelated news, but important nonetheless. However, it can wait," Ironwood said.

Ruby tried to avoid meeting any of their eyes, but when she looked at their faces, they looked concerned rather than angry or disappointed. Even Raven didn't look upset.

"Ruby…what happened to you?" Yang asked.

"I…"

 _Let me. The truth, remember?_

 _Are you sure?_ Ruby responded.

 _Yes. Best they see it firsthand._

"This is going to be strange, but here goes," Ruby said. _Alright, go ahead._

She didn't blackout this time. She simply felt like someone else took control. She couldn't move her own body, but she could still see through it like if she still had control. When she spoke it wasn't her, but rather her other half. Everyone looked surprised. She assumed her eyes changed color. She wasn't sure, but her other half _did_ have golden eyes.

"This is what happened. Things…have changed," Her other half said. She looked over at Raven who had folded her arms and scowled. "I, uhh."

 _Go on! Apologize!_

"I…" She fidgeted. "I'm sorry. It was me who hurt you."

Everyone suddenly turned around and looked at Oscar.

"What? Why are you looking at me? I know it _seems_ similar, but don't blame me," Oscar said.

"He's right. I was always here. Always inside Ruby, but it wasn't until recently that I was given the chance to manifest like this."

They all turned back around to face her. "And who are you?" Raven asked.

"Call me Morgan. Better that way so you don't confused me with my light-sided half."

"Light-sided?" Raven chuckled. "I see. I guess I can figure it out; what it was that drove you to try and kill me."

"So, what happened between you too?" Yang asked. Her sister bore no look of judgment, only concern. Not that the others looked judgmental, only that Yang seemed to understand. She could feel her other half—Morgan—feel at ease.

 _Yang will always understand. After everything we've been through together, there's no way she wouldn't,_ Ruby thought.

"Long story. Let's just say, Ruby and I have settled our differences. I won't be acting out again. Not without her consent at least. And with her, she won't act without my consent either. We are one now after all."

"Are you…okay though? You're not going to do anything crazy anymore? No more blackouts?" Dad asked.

"No. We're fine. Everything's better now." She scratched her head. "I'll go back now. Let you talk to Ruby again."

"Wait," Dad said.

She felt a slight shift again. This time she felt in control. "Did my eyes change color?" She asked.

"Yeah. They were golden. They're silver again," Qrow said.

Ironwood coughed. "Well. Now that you seemed to have talked it through, I feel like I need to inform you all of a recent incident. I would allow more time, but this is urgent."

"What is it, general?" Oscar said.

"There's been a coup. Mistral was attacked, and the council has been murdered. A governor has been installed and tensions have skyrocketed dramatically. There have been riots on the streets and talk of war between Atlas and Mistral is on everyone's lips."

A tension filled the air. Everyone received the news more or less the same.

"Wait, between Atlas and Mistral? Why?" Glynda asked.

"I do believe you've encountered the guilty party before," Ironwood said, looking over to Qrow, Oscar, and her.

"The New Dawn," Oscar said.

Ironwood nodded. "And since they're of Atlesian origin, many people are assuming this is a tactic to try and gain control over Mistral resources. We need to head over to Mistral and ease tensions. I can't act much, but I will assign Captain Schnee to assist you. I trust you will all do whatever you can to prevent war. We can't afford another Great War."

"What are the details, exactly?" Raven asked.

"I don't know much so far, though I can safely say the governor has combat experience. Probably a huntsman. I'm having a few of my informants all over the place scouring for anything we can find to identify him and his history. Haven's headmaster has also been given the heads up just in case Mistral's new governor ends up hailing from Haven." Ironwood walked over to a table and placed his scroll. A map of Mistral popped up showing a number of red dots all over it.

"What's this?" Yang asked.

"A map of… "political" hot spots. Upper Mistral is the least affected by the tensions at the moment. Most of them are neutral though so far, they're not exactly happy that a violent coup occurred. Middle Mistral is concerned and there are protests on the streets asking for the governor to stand down. Lower Mistral is probably the worst. When news broke out that an Atlesian mercenary group took control over the Mistral government, the criminal underworld in particular didn't take the news too well."

"Do you think Civil War might break out?" Oscar asked.

"Possibly. I don't know where the Mistral Military stands, though I can't imagine they'd be very happy. It all depends on how the new regime acts and what policies come from it in the coming days."

"So I guess we're to head over to the city and help with what? Reduce tensions?" Qrow asked.

"Blake leads the White Fang and they're stationed over in Mistral. I'll contact her and see if she can help us," Yang said. "If I can get her to agree, the White Fang can do a lot of good in helping to calm everybody down."

Ironwood nodded.

"I'll contact Azure again and see what agreement we can come to. We might be able to enlist the Branwen Tribe into a mutual alliance," Oscar said.

Raven looked over to Oscar as he spoke and smiled. "Seems they're doing well then? Good."

"Military force from the governor's side is most likely inevitable, especially considering their track record and the violence in Lower Mistral. We can contact the SDC to help provide shipments to the rebels to help prevent a violent takeover of the main city by the New Dawn should such a thing be needed. Getting things prepared just in case is something we should look into," Glynda said.

"I'll pass the suggestion over to Ms. Schnee," Ironwood said.

"I guess I'll go and help clean up whatever damage there is in Mistral," Dad said. "What part of Lower Mistral is in need of a free pair of hands?"

Ironwood looked at the projected map again. "Probably southwest of the White Fang headquarters."

"Well, that's where I'll be," Dad said.

"Meanwhile, Qrow and I will go spy on this new governor," Raven said. She looked over to him and smirked.

"We will? Yeah, I guess we will," Qrow said.

"Anything else? Ironwood asked.

"I think we're good," Oscar said with a smile.

What should she do? Maybe go help out Dad?

Yang placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey sis. Mind tagging along?" Yang said with a smile.

She smiled back. "Sure thing!" She looked herself over. "Though let me change first!"

Yang nodded. Ruby rushed upstairs to her old room, hoping to have a spare outfit which she did. Luckily, she had the foresight to have a spare since she was a huntress and all. After she changed, she folded up Morgan's clothes and put them away. _You're not going to throw them away?_ No, she wasn't. She considered it a keepsake. A memento to remember what happened. This was sort of a big deal wasn't it? She felt like this was a good idea. Besides, didn't Morgan like these clothes? _I'll admit, my preferences are slightly different than yours._ Then it was settled! She closed the drawer and rushed back down to meet Yang.

Things were going to get serious, weren't they? What Ironwood told them was something she wasn't going to take lightly. This was the biggest mission she had in what felt like ages. She smiled.


	3. Yang's Arc Chapter 1

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 1 – Reunion**

* * *

Yang walked to the ship by the dock alongside her sister. As they approached, she noticed Ruby stopping in her tracks in the corner of her eye. "What's wrong?"

Ruby looked sad. "It's about what happened. To Raven. What I did. I…" She fiddled with her fingers. "Are you okay with it? What about Raven? She'll forgive me, right?"

Yang sighed and walked over to her sister and placed her forehead against hers. "Look. You're you. There's no way you honestly intended to try and kill my mother. Whatever this is, whatever is happening? It's not who _you_ are. Morgan may be your darkside, but she's still a part of you, which means there's good in her. I think I understand where Morgan was coming from, and so does my mom. After everything we've been through together? Yeah, everything's fine." She smiled.

Tears welled up in Ruby's eyes as she wiped them away. "Thanks, sis." She returned the smile.

"Now come on. Let's get going."

They both walked on board the ship. They took it over to Vale and then took an airship over to Mistral since it was faster that way. She sometimes liked to take the scenic route and it _was_ technically possible to go by boat, but _time is of the essence_ and all that nonsense.

 _Blake._ It had been a year since they'd last spoke. Ever since Blake became High Leader, she was practically busy nonstop. Apparently, even though faunus rights haven't been better, there was still a lot of work to be done. She wondered what Blake was doing right now. Working, sure. But…was she okay? Did she like the job or did she regret it? Did she need help? Of course, Ilia and Sun were there. She wasn't sure about Ghira or Kali, but she had friends. Maybe she needed more help though.

Yang grabbed the handle atop the rim of the doorway. The airship rocked from side to side as it descended for a land on the airstrip near the back of Haven Academy. As they landed, she noticed Ghira and Kali walking toward them. "Looks like they've been told already," Ruby said.

"Yeah, I'd say so. The general did seem antsy about this whole thing. Still. Didn't expect the two of them to be working for Haven."

"Why not?" Ruby said.

"I don't know. Figured they'd always stick with the White Fang, especially since they reclaimed it," Yang said. "Either that, or they'd retire back to Menagerie." They walked down from the airship. The both of them looked at Ghira and Kali who stopped a few feet from them.

"Welcome, Yang! Ruby! Good to see you again! Blake will be pleased to see the two of you."

"Hey, Mr. Belladonna! How's it going?" Ruby said.

"Oh, it's been going well. Boring, but well," Ghira said.

Kali leaned forward and cloaked her mouth with the back of her hand. "He's been letting paperwork pile up ever since he took over as Headmaster."

Ghira blushed a little. "Kali! They don't need to know that!"

"Wait, you're the headmaster now?" Yang said. Well, that explained why they'd be awaiting their arrival. The general _did_ mention the Haven Headmaster being asked to look into the new governor's history.

"Yeah. I was offered the position not long ago, after a number of the previous candidates got caught in scandals. It's not the most uplifting sort of thing, but they saw my work as leader of the White Fang and thought that that might translate to leading an academy of huntsman and huntresses. Especially during these times of peace."

"Huh. Well, still rising up then? First leader of the White Fang, then chief of Menagerie, and now headmaster of one of the four major academies," Yang said, arms crossed. "Maybe _you'll_ be the governor next." She grinned.

"Don't keep going or it'll go to his head," Kali said.

He laughed a bit. "Anyway. Ironwood informed us of your coming arrival and we thought we'd greet you personally. This whole business with the coup has got everyone in Mistral anxious and the grimm haven't exactly disappeared."

"Are they a big problem?" Ruby asked.

"Not really. Most of our students here have been able to clear them up just fine," Ghira said. "However, having our fighters constantly kept busy because of tensions strains our other efforts. Many people have begun expanding all over the place and we've been having a bit of a shortage of new students lately, though our biggest concern right now is what the new regime has in mind for Mistral. The Mistral Military is not loyal to the new governor yet, and with this mercenary group acting as the de facto army, everyone is on edge, terrified of civil war!"

They started walking toward the campus itself.

"What about the White Fang?" Yang asked. She walked beside Ghira, with Ruby to her right.

Kali spoke up, moving beside Ruby. "So far, we don't know. We do know they're deliberating. They have to be careful. The public approval of the White Fang has skyrocketed ever since we reclaimed it and Blake became High Leader, and it's imperative that stays the same, especially now. However, they have detractors. An anti-white fang movement has popped up and is trying surprisingly hard to counter the White Fang and its efforts. Sometimes violence breaks out between the two."

"Humans I assume?" Yang asked.

"Actually, from what Blake told us, they're mostly faunus. We think they're remnants of either the old White Fang, or faunus who don't like what the White Fang represents—faunus who don't want faunus in general to be associated with a political group," Ghira said.

Yang sighed. "Sounds pretty boring to be honest." It's not like she didn't understand, though what she truly _didn't_ understand was why they hypocritically formed a movement because they didn't want to be a part of a movement. Maybe that meant that something else was going on. If she had to take a guess, it'd be that old hot heads from the old White Fang didn't like Blake all that much.

Ghira laughed. "It is, though it's important. I just hope Blake paces herself. It's not as likely to make as much of a difference as saving the world, but..."

Yang smiled back. "Yeah, I hear that."

"Do they have a name?" Ruby asked.

"The Black Claw," Kali responded.

"The Black Claw? _Really_?" Yang said, incredulous.

"Yeah, we said the same thing, but it makes sense. They present themselves as the "Anti-White Fang" so it makes sense to symbolize that in their name," Ghira said.

"So where do they mostly operate? Do they have branches elsewhere?" Ruby asked.

"No, just here. Mostly around the Mistral underworld where they hide from the authorities. They don't have the legitimacy that the White Fang has acquired through hard work, so they stay low," Ghira replied. "Blake has managed to uplift a part of Lower Mistral, which is where she moved its headquarters. It's done wonders for the area, and luckily, she has steered clear from the underworld. She is rather close to her enemies however—for better or worse."

They reached the back of the academy itself and walked within its doors. The academy was bustling with activity, mostly from students. Both Yang and Ruby followed Ghira and Kali to the headmaster's office; the same office they visited all those years ago, the one previously inhabited by the late Leonardo Lionheart. On the way they kept talking about the Black Claw and the White Fang, the recent changes, and a little bit about the political climate in Mistral overall. Apparently, the Black Claw was small yet surprisingly powerful, many of the poor in Lower Mistral are starting to see new opportunities, and despite the rich of Mistral not being as on edge as the poor, they're still worried about how the new government will affect their way of life.

The trip to the office was mostly a formality as they needed to fill out some paperwork to get a pass to legally pass through Mistral as huntresses from other kingdoms. Normally, it wasn't too big of a deal, but with the recent rise of tensions and everyone being on edge, many huntsman and huntresses started paying attention to small formalities lately.

Once they got their passes, Ghira gave them the location of the White Fang headquarters in Mistral. They said their goodbyes to Ghira and Kali before taking a ride over to the more unsavory parts of Mistral. It was here where the headquarters was located—though apparently closer to where the Black Claw operated just as Ghira said—and where the White Fang—in the past and even now—did most of their recruitment and propaganda work. Although lately, they didn't use propaganda as much thanks to Blake.

As they arrived, both Yang and Ruby walked through the streets. Yang looked around. The buildings were better maintained here; the wood and metal used seemed to be of rather high quality. There were a high number of taverns and clubs, people on the streets, food stalls, and a scuffle here and there. It was loud; loud and annoying. Though surprisingly, it didn't look too bad. She looked out in the distance toward a large building that even from afar, looked more well-kept than anything else in the area. "There it is."

Ruby used her hand as a visor. "Blake works there, now? Well, not surprising. She always tends to be in the big buildings, doesn't she?"

Yang chuckled. "You know what? I just now noticed that. I mean she _is_ practically a faunus princess and all."

They continued their walk through the streets. Yang looked from side to side to notice propaganda posters, specifically from the Black Claw. The posters were white; they had a black mask with amber eye sockets and double claw marks in the form of an x over the mask. The posters simply read _Join the Black Claw! Know the truth!_ There weren't any White Fang posters to be found anywhere. Which of course was to be expected. Still, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern. Propaganda is done for a reason. It works. She was sure Blake was doing something about it, but it still worried her.

As they got closer to the building Yang thought of something. From what she noticed about Morgan, Morgan was more willing to do shadier things than Ruby. Perhaps she could use that to their advantage. Maybe Morgan would know something about the tactics the Black Claw would be using and how to deal with them. "Hey, Morgan." She looked over at Ruby.

Ruby's eyes widened, but then she nodded, seemingly understanding. Her eyes became golden. "Yeah?"

"You wouldn't happen to have some advice on how to deal with the Black Claw, would you?"

"From what I've been noticing, they're definitely not above typical political crap, which means we should assume they're willing to engage in other common tactics, as well. Like sabotage and scapegoating. Something like a tragic event happening and then blaming the White Fang with a good use of lies."

She was surprised. She didn't know much about politics, but what she said seemed obvious, yet only in the obvious in hindsight sort of way. She wondered. "Where did you learn that by the way?"

"I paid close attention to Cinder's words back when she spoke on the intercoms during the Vytal Festival. She did the exact same thing. From then on, whenever Ruby watched tv, heard a politician speak, or came across someone dishonest, I paid attention." She shrugged. "I got a lot of knowledge from Atlas too. You can thank Jacques Schnee for that."

"Huh. Well, thanks! We should keep a heads-up then. For Blake," She said.

Morgan nodded. "Of course. I'll be paying attention to any shady business related to them then. I'll tell Ruby anything I notice so she can tell you."

"Gotcha."

Ruby's eyes changed back to Silver. "I still gotta get used to that." She shook her head violently. "It feels so weird!"

Yang laughed. They were getting very close to the building now. So close that they reached the main security checkpoint. Anyone visiting had to pass through here. Hell, even official members—high ranking or not—apparently had to pass through here. She took out her scroll and sent a message to Blake, asking her for anything she would need to get passed the gate. To be honest, she hoped her fame would get her through the door, though it's not like she didn't understand. Security and all that. Can never be too careful.

As they got close the guard stopped them. A reply came. It was a passcode. Yang pulled up the phone, which not only showed the code but Blake's photo, name, and number beside it. The guard nodded and waved them through, allowing the gate to the side to open—the gate that was meant for people coming on foot, while on the side was the actual roadway where vehicles went through.

They walked on through and walked toward the entrance to the building. Once inside they walked up to a guard. "Hey, do you know where Blake Belladonna is? We're here to see her. She should have said something about us coming," Yang said.

"Your names?" The guard responded.

"Yang Xiao Long." Dude seriously didn't know who they were?

"Ruby Rose!" She saluted.

"We…might have heard something about that, yes. Head over to the fourth floor. The room she's in is the meeting room and will be labeled as such, although she's currently in a meeting, so you'll have to wait." He pointed them toward the elevator.

"Thanks," Yang said. That guy seemed the type of person who'd calmly walk from out of a burning building. The both of them walked off toward the elevator and took it to the fourth floor. They searched around through the darkly lit hallways on the floor until they found the one marked as the meeting room. They could hear people talking inside, some raised their voices. They waited for a few minutes before people started walking out. One of them was Sun Wukong.

He noticed them, smiled, and waved at them. "Hey! Good to see you guys! Go on in, the meeting's done."

"Good to see you too, Sun," Ruby said.

They walked passed him and into the meeting room. Blake was standing over the long, oval table with her hands planted on them. She was looking down at what seemed to be a map. Ilia was in a corner and noticed them come in. She nodded and smiled.

"Hey! You should take a break some time," Yang shouted.

Blake was slightly startled but smiled as she acknowledged them. She rushed over to her and gave her a big hug. "Good to see you, Yang! It's been awhile." She let go.

"Yeah, you too. Heard you've been busy," Yang said.

They all started walking to the table back to where Blake was standing previously.

"I've been up to my neck in problems thanks to the Black Claw, and now a coup had to happen of all things." Blake sighed.

"How goes the fight against them? The Black Claw, I mean," Ruby asked.

"It's been rough. Their leader—Nero—is smart. _Very_ smart," Blake replied.

"How so?" Yang asked.

Ilia walked forward. "He's somehow been able to predict and counter everything Blake came up with. We've figured it was a spy, but that's been hard to prove and deal with. They're not as resourceful as us, thankfully, but honestly, yeah. It's been rough." Ilia looked to Blake, worried.

"It's not just that. I've tried meeting with him—trying to settle things peacefully. I tried to make compromise, but Nero always declined. Even when we met face to face, he refused to consider an option of peace. Maybe it's just me. I'm still a huntress at heart, not a leader. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this."

Yang frowned and walked up to her. "You're fine! The last thing you should be doing is doubting yourself. Besides, you have people to help you right? You're not doing everything yourself. And you have us, now!" She smiled.

Blake smiled back. "Thanks, Yang. It really is good to see you again. But you're also here about the New Dawn and the coup, right?"

Yang and Ruby nodded.

"Figured. They're a wildcard and so is the new governor. We have no idea who they are or what they intend to do, and I get the feeling the Black Claw is going to try and capitalize on that. Right now, we're in a tight spot, politically. We can't be quick to pick sides, so the sooner we figure out where the new regime stands the better."

Sun stormed into the room. "Hey! We just got word that one of our teams are trapped underneath an abandoned warehouse. An emergency signal was sent from one of their scrolls. Apparently, they discovered something important, but it collapsed."

They all looked at Sun and then each other, though Ruby seemed to be lost in thought. "Ruby?"

Ruby looked at her. "Morgan says it's probably a trap. Don't send a lot of help, just enough to help _or_ handle the trap."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Morgan?"

"Long story. Let Ruby and I handle it, then. We can rescue anyone who needs help and if it is a trap, we're more than enough to handle it. And we're not White Fang, so they shouldn't be able to tie any incident to you," Yang said.

Blake smiled. "Alright then. I'll leave you two to it." She looked over to Sun. "Sun, where is this warehouse?"

"It's over by the northeastern sector, not far from here. Warehouse thirteen I believe. I'll send you two the map."

Yang punched her palm. "Alright! Let's get this over with!"

Ruby grinned and nodded. "We'll be back in no time!"

They turned around and walked toward the exit.

"Yang," Blake yelled. "We'll catch up when you get back."

She smiled and nodded. "Sure thing!"

* * *

They took two White Fang bikes together toward Warehouse thirteen and followed the map. They bypassed the traffic along the way. It took them only a few minutes—less than ten—to get to the warehouse marked with the number thirteen. Parking out in front, they both got off and creeped toward the entrance.

Yang extended her new gauntlets all the way out; they covered her entire forearm and even went up passed the elbow. Both were equal in size and the right one disguised her cybernetic arm. She preferred it this way. She got used to the new arm years ago, but it was nice to go back to a symmetrical look again. She looked over to her sister as she pulled out Full Rose, transforming it into Rose Petals.

They both nodded. Yang pushed open the doors. It was dark inside. Dark and abandoned. "Hello," Yang yelled. "Anyone here?" No answer. They slowly walked through the warehouse, which was bigger than she expected. She looked up, scanning the rafters. "We should check for any trapdoors on the floor."

Ruby nodded and walked off to the right, checking by some crates. Yang didn't worry as they were still close enough to each other to warn of any danger, despite the size of the warehouse.

Meanwhile, Yang searched to the left toward a stack of crates. She walked behind them trying to find any sort of latch that may have been hidden underneath all the dust and cobwebs that dirtied the place. As she did, the hairs on her neck stood up, she slowed her movement, and turned her head over to her right. She pivoted around and dodged out of the way of an arrow made of dust. It impacted the side wall and exploded as she reeled away from it.

She charged at the direction of the arrow and noticed a shadowy figure up in the rafters firing off a rapid succession of arrows. She saw Ruby in the corner of her eye fly up with her semblance toward the figure, dodging the rain of arrows.

Yang used her gauntlets to recoil her way to the other side of the figure, opposite of Ruby. She deflected an incoming arrow, and then another. As the figure fell down toward the ground, Yang crashed down before she did, slamming her fist into it as it shattered. She realized the ground hadn't caved in. The figure leaped backward and landed on her feet, ducking beneath a slash from Ruby's sword.

The figure—now a female faunus wearing the symbol of the Black Claw—continued firing a series of lightning dust arrows at Ruby as she deflected each of them. Yang charged toward her backside to try and pincer her, but before she could, Ruby was knocked back by an arrow she wasn't able to deflect.

"Careful," Ruby yelled. "I think her semblance strengthens her arrows somehow!"

"Got it," Yang shouted. She ducked, dodged, and swerved passed even more arrows—this time, wind shots—as she slowly inched closer. The faunus backed up as she kept firing, the many quivers around her body still aplenty. She jumped up into the rafters again and fired a series of explosive shots at Ruby's direction, keeping her back, as she then fired a gravity shot at Yang, pulling her back toward it after she dodged.

She was getting annoyed at the slippery faunus. She tried to use her semblance to try and generate more power but couldn't for some reason. Her red eyes remained lilac as she tried and tried to brute force passed another series of attacks keeping her pulled backward. The faunus then pulled back another arrow, this time one she didn't recognize and released it at Yang; it exploded midflight into an acidic mist, causing her to cough and gag. Then, an arrow struck her, then another, then another—her aura still intact, yet every arrow seemed more damaging than the last.

She tried to use her semblance again and charged forward with all her might; she could feel her eyes flicker to red for an instant, releasing her from the pull of gravity shots as she launched a series of blows at the faunus who was caught off guard by her charge. She dodged each blow until one finally connected onto her gut as she was launched through the wall and out of the warehouse. Ruby swirled through the hole after her.

Yang followed. The faunus was unconscious; she was slumped on the ground, back against the shattered wall. She gritted her teeth; her arm shook a bit as she noticed the blood on the wall. She didn't realize she hit her so hard. They cautiously walked up to the faunus. Ruby finally went to check her pulse.

She turned around and frowned. "No pulse."

She sighed. "Well, not much we could've done about it." She looked down at her hand. "Didn't realize I hit her so hard... And for a second back there, I couldn't use my semblance."

"Wait what? That's weird," Ruby said.

"Yeah. First time it's happened." Yang retracted her gauntlets into thin bangles around her wrists. "Come on, let's keep searching the warehouse just in case and then head back to Blake. She'll want to hear what happened." She tore off the patch containing the Black Claw crest and pocketed it. _I'm sorry_. She didn't like killing, but the faunus didn't exactly leave her a choice. She thought they were passed this. This war between faunus. At least she saw first hand what the Black Claw is capable of. They really were a threat, weren't they?

Ruby went back through the new hole and scoured the building from top to bottom. No hatch, no secret door, nothing. It was a trap like Morgan had suspected. She recognized the attacker's emblem too. Who did they intend to draw out with this trap? No way could they have intended to draw out Blake, could they? She needed to make sure; this couldn't have been the first time something like this had happened.

They walked out of the warehouse back out onto the streets. The skies darkened. They both looked up and then over to the richer parts of Mistral, noticing the storm gathering there overhead. Lightning crackled over head over and over again. "Was there supposed to be a thunderstorm today?" Yang asked.

"Dunno," Ruby replied. "It's a bad one though; you'd think we would have heard something about it. Or at least seen it off in the distance."

"Yeah…" Yang felt something…ominous? She wasn't sure. Something was off about that storm.

They walked to their motorcycles, black clouds looming over them. The thought of her semblance not working still on her mind. A minor thought but as an expert huntress now, one she didn't want to ignore. Maybe the faunus did something. One more concern added to the list of things she had to tell Blake.

They got on and rode back to the White Fang base of operations. Once there, they walked up to the closed meeting room door from before. The guards waved them in, even though they could tell there was a meeting going on.

"Even if we can't get those shipments, we still have to do something," a voice yelled.

They pushed through the doors and were welcomed with glances, and a nod from Blake as she returned to focus on the meeting.

"And what? We go to war with the Mistral Government?" another voice said; she was a female faunus, garbed in a white, black, and gold uniform marked with the golden crest of the White Fang.

Yang walked toward a pillar on the left side of the room, folded her arms, and propped herself up against it. Ruby stood beside her.

"You've heard the reports! The new governor is a monster! The people won't stand for it and if the White Fang remain quiet, then it'll send a bad message to the people about how the faunus perceive this new regime. Like it or not, the White Fang and the faunus are synonymous now," the initial voice said which was a male faunus with a similar uniform.

Another male faunus spoke, having propped his elbows on the table, hands clasped. "It's not that simple. Yes, it is important that we denounce this new regime, but we need to consider the possibility that the SDC supports the new governor. He _is_ a part of the New Dawn, an _Atlesian_ organization." The faunus cloaked in the same uniform wore glasses. He had the air of a scholar about him.

Blake turned to him. "Just because they're Atlesian, doesn't mean they'll be supported by everyone in Atlas. I know the president of the SDC very well and she would never support an organization that engaged in an outright coup nor one that supports senseless violence!"

"Of course, High Leader. Then, what do you propose? It'll ease an enormous burden if we at least knew for certain where the SDC stands, regardless of the president's personal feelings," The same scholarly man said.

Blake sighed. "I'll contact Weiss directly. I'll see if I can get any information about that. I'll also ask if she can approve the dust shipments to us. On record, it'll be for self-defense and for the defense of the innocent, which is the _truth_."

The ominous air in the room lightened a little as the people seemed to relax. Having a High Leader who was good friends with the president of the most powerful dust company in the world apparently had its benefits.

"In that case, what about the Black Claw? Anything we do will surely provoke a response from them. Is it possible that they'll side with the New Dawn if we openly denounce them?" the first male faunus said.

"It's possible. Though, it would be too easy to assume that they'll just be so foolishly contrarian. Considering Nero's success in predicting and countering everything we've done, we should consider the possibility that the Black Claw will actually denounce the new regime before we do," The female faunus said.

"And then promote the narrative that we're hiding our true motives and playing political games if we were to do the same," the scholar said. He turned to Blake. "Nero's a problem, High Leader. I fear anything we do will effectively be countered before we even do it."

Blake turned and addressed the whole group. "Then we ignore him. We act according to our beliefs. We stop falling for Nero's traps, and stop playing his games! We fight for what we stand for. Should the Black Claw denounce the regime before we do, then we ignore them and denounce the regime as well."

They all nodded. The ominous air practically disappeared. Yang couldn't help but smile. Blake was still young, and this was her first time in such a high position, yet she clearly belonged. It was what she seemed to excel at, not that she didn't excel as a huntress, but rather that this had been a long time coming.

Blake turned to the two of them. "What did you find at the warehouse?"

Yang unpropped herself from the pillar and walked up to the table. "We found nothing but were attacked by a faunus from the Black Claw. She was surprisingly skilled." She tossed the patch onto the table.

"Of course, that's what happened," The first male faunus said.

"So, it _was_ a trap," the female faunus said.

Blake frowned. "What happened to the faunus?"

"I killed her, unfortunately. Not what I wanted, but…"

"It couldn't be helped," the scholar said. "They attacked you, and they were clearly not a civilian."

"Was there anything else?" Blake asked.

"No. Just the one faunus. We didn't find any people who needed help and there was no underground to the place either," Yang replied.

"The Black Claw is practically engaging in open war with us. We have to expect more of this from them. Considering the nature of the trap, I suggest we all walk with bodyguards from now on," the scholar said.

Everyone at the table nodded.

"Well, I think that covers it. We'll reconvene in a few hours once I finish contacting Weiss," Blake said.

They all stood up and bowed toward Blake. The three of them all acknowledged Yang and Ruby's presence, giving them a respectful bow of the head as they walked from out of the meeting room.

"So, what's up?" Yang said as she waited for everyone else to leave the room, turning her head back to them as they finished walking out.

"The governor recently arrived at Mistral. Apparently away on some sort of business and we've been getting reports of his cruelty. According to the reports, he's killed a few of those working in the government who didn't meet his standards. There's been a purge and it has all those who know about it on edge."

"Well, except the New Dawn, right?" Ruby said.

Blake nodded.

"So, you're worried the governor is going to get violent with any uprisings?" Yang said. Something they had already considered back in Patch.

"The uprisings have already begun, and he hasn't done anything, _yet_ , but yes, that's the fear," Blake said. She sighed. "Let me call Weiss. I'll tell her you two are here; I'm sure she'll be happy to catch up, assuming she has the time."

The two of them smiled as Blake called Weiss on her scroll. A few seconds passed until someone answered as Blake put the scroll on speaker. "Yes, hello? This is Blake Belladonna calling, I wish to speak with President Schnee."

A man responded. "The High Leader of the White Fang? Yes, hold on a moment while I contact Ms. Schnee."

"By the way, to whom am I speaking with? If you don't mind me asking," Blake said.

"Percival. Percival Crescent. I'm Ms. Schnee's personal bodyguard and secretary, please to meet you. Ms. Schnee speaks fondly of you."

Blake smiled at that. "Pleased to meet you as well, Mr. Crescent. I'll hold."

"Thank you," Percival said.

A few moments more passed until they heard a familiar voice on the other end. "Thank you, Percival! Blake! Good to hear your voice again! I understand this is a business call since you went through my secretary rather than through my personal scroll," Weiss laughed a bit.

"It is. Although I wish it _were_ a more personal call. Yang and Ruby are here by the way. Say hello you two."

"Hey Weiss," Ruby yelled smiling at the video of Weiss on the other end, Weiss responded with a big smile and wave.

"Hey Weiss, how's the job going? Is it as boring as it sounds?" Yang said.

"Well…It's not the most entertaining job in the world, and I _do_ miss being a huntress. Nnnooot that I've been slacking off though."

"Wait! You've managed to find some time to keep practicing? Pfft, no way! Sounds like someone _is_ slacking off," Yang said.

"Oh, ha ha. Never change Yang," Weiss said. "Now, what's going on Blake? What do you need?"

"I'm sure you've heard the news about the coup by now. To put things simply, there's a good chance things could get violent and we need dust shipments to help protect ourselves and the innocent. I know you'd be in a tough spot if you were to—"

"Say no more Blake! I'm president, remember? I get to decide where the SDC goes from here and I won't take the coward's way out and remain politically neutral during a time in which Atlas itself is being accused of aspirations of conquest. I'm still a huntress remember? I'll see that dust shipments are provided to the White Fang in no time. You let _me_ handle the politics."

"Weiss, I don't know what to say. Thank you,"

"Ms. Schnee, if I may," Percival said, still audible from the other side.

"What is it, Percy?" Weiss said.

"Percy?" Ruby said.

"We should be careful how we approach this. Who's to say the New Dawn only has forces in Mistral? The SDC is a major power in a time like this and you may find yourself in a dangerous position. Dangers could approach you in such a way that your huntress experience won't be able to defend against, _especially_ since said huntress experience is legendary," Percival said.

"Well, that's why I have you here," Weiss replied. "You'll do your duty, right? Besides, my father, mother, and Ironwood have been keeping contact with me. If you could inform them of what I'm going to do, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course, Ms. Schnee. Right away," Percival said.

"Now, I won't be able to guarantee quick delivery. The shipments will be sent out _legally,_ so I'll have them sent immediately, but if the new governor enforces a dust embargo, then I won't be able to do much," Weiss said.

"Of course," Blake said.

"By the way you two, has my sister contacted either of you yet?" Weiss asked.

"Winter? Not yet, although Ironwood did pay us a visit when he gave us the rundown about the coup. Said she would come meet us," Yang said.

"Good. If you could contact me when she does, I'd appreciate it. I'd like to be kept up to date on the situation over there," Weiss said.

"Gotcha," Yang said.

"We'll talk to you soon, Weiss," Blake said.

"Alright! Keep in touch," Weiss responded. The call ended, as Blake pocketed her scroll.

"What about this Nero guy?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, you mentioned him before." Yang said.

Blake sighed. "Was about a year ago when we first met. He's an enigma, wears a mask, usually unarmed, but incredibly dangerous. Adam's group has tried to assassinate him several times after the Black Claw attacked a few of our members, but he's managed to fend off each attempt; he almost killed Adam in the process. Besides that, he somehow knows everything about us. He knew about Sun, Ilia, Adam, even my mom and dad. He's been able to predict everything we were going to do, and he's always had a plan to stop us."

Yang folded her arms again. "Sounds…unreal to be honest."

"You're telling me! Hey, could you two do something for me?" Blake asked.

"Sure, what is it?" Ruby said.

"Could you ask Qrow to spy on Nero for a bit? Or at least on the Black Claw's activity? I need something to give me an edge."

"Sure, we'll pass over the suggestion on to him," Yang said.

"Thanks," Blake said. "Maybe then I'll be able to find _something_ I can use to hinder him in some way."

"So, what now?" Ruby asked.

"We should check in over at the main section of Mistral. See if we can find anything about what's going on. Get a lay of the land so to speak," Yang said.

"Good idea. Let me know if you find anything," Blake said.

"Sure thing," Yang said. "But before we go. We should catch up a bit. Remember?"

Blake smiled. "Right."

They walked down the hallway outside the meeting room. Ruby walked behind them some distance away yet still close. Both Yang and Blake walked beside each other.

"Has he really?" Yang laughed.

"Yeah. Glad you're not upset about it," Blake looked down, somber. "I'm glad we gave Adam a chance. He's doing much better now. His relationship with Sun is…odd. In a good way, though!"

"Yeah, how's Sun doing by the way?" Yang asked.

"I didn't think he'd do well in the White Fang, but he insisted. I think he joined just to stay close-by. Same with Ilia, although she was likely to join regardless. As for Adam…He's seemingly content being an enforcer. He's not too aggressive nor too passive. I think he's finally gotten over his hatred for humanity. Now I think he just wants faunus to look up to the White Fang…and him."

She had gotten over what Adam did to her seven years ago. It's not like it was that easy to get over the scars—both physical and emotional—but she refused to let him have that kind of control over her. When they decided to spare him, choosing to be different then their enemies, it had been a tough choice, but she was glad to hear that it was the right one. "So, what, he's trying to be a faunus superhero or something?"

Blake chuckled. "Something like that. He sees his missions as a means of redemption. He's quick to obey, rarely disagrees, and does his best to perform outstandingly. It's…surprising actually. I've never seen this side of him. I'm not sure if it existed before or if it's a new side of him now that the darkness in him has been quelled." She let out a sigh. "Either way, I'm happy for him. I've heard he even found a girlfriend. A faunus here, serving the White Fang."

"Wait, really? Here I thought he'd be trying to get back together with you or something."

She laughed again. "No, no. I think we parted ways in that respect a long time ago."

"So, you're happy here then?"

"Yeah, yeah I am." Blake smiled. "What about you? What's been going on with you?"

"Well, it's been pretty boring to be honest. I went out and entered a few tournaments here and there, but regular fighters just don't do it for me anymore. The only time it wasn't boring was when my mom entered one of the tournaments I did under an alias and disguise. I was surprised to say the least."

"Wait, really? Your mom tried to fight against you in a tournament?"

"Yep! Hell of a match too!" She punched her palm.

Blake laughed again. "You know, shouldn't say I'm surprised. Sounds just like you. And her to be honest."

"Yeah. Glad to know I don't just get it from my dad."

Blake turned her head around as they kept walking. "What about you, Ruby?"

"Oh, you know. Boring old regular huntress missions. Killing grimm…killing grimm, killing more grimm."

"That…sounds exciting? You sure there isn't anything more…" Blake said.

"Exciting? Nope, unfortunately. I did finish testing Full Rose though!"

"Full Rose? What happened to Crescent Rose?" Blake asked.

"It…I shelved it. It had a great run. But the wear and tear…I just decided it was time for an upgrade! I found myself talking to Nora about it and I recalled Qrow's scythe and how it could also become a sword and that's when the idea for Full Rose came up."

"You know…" Blake turned back around; she put her finger on her chin. "I think I might need an upgrade too. You got one too right Yang?"

"Sure do!" Yang extended her gauntlets. "Ember Alto Celica. More or less the same design, except I added some armoring to it and made them go up my arm further than the original. I figured I didn't need any more attack power and this way I could defend against other peoples' weapons better. My mom helped me test it, especially in the defense department."

"Interesting…" Blake said.

Ruby rushed up behind Blake. "If you need help designing it, I could help you!"

"Thanks, Ruby! I think I'll take you up on that."

They reached the end of the hall. "Well. I'm sure you still have stuff to do, and I think we need to be meeting with Winter now," Yang said.

"You're right. Come stop by again. Going to have to anyway, this struggle is just beginning," Blake replied. "Take care, Yang."

"You too, Blake," Yang said.

They hugged each other tightly and with that, Yang and Ruby left toward the upper parts of Mistral. The place where all the rich, stuffy people lived. They arrived there near the location where the council was before they died. The storm still hovered above although there was no rainfall. It was just a large, localized storm cloud, bursting with lightning and thunder quite frequently. All situated over this specific part of Mistral, oddly. It was eerie.

They looked around. People were still up and about, the streets bustling with activity despite the storm. The houses in the area were all big, bigger than even her house, and certainly much bigger than her apartment. It wasn't surprising, but it _was_ at the same time; she was surprised at how big the homes were but not surprised because they _were_ rich after all. But it wasn't just the housing, the buildings which held restaurants, shops, casinos, and entertainment were all bigger than she was familiar with.

She looked out in the distance and gazed at the large structure situated between two large rows of buildings. It was a building with stylish architecture that held a tall spire at its center. Even from where she was, she could see the long set of stairs coming down from the building and its rich red appearance. She assumed it to be the council chambers, where the new governor lived. She looked over to her side and noticed Ruby taking in the sights, running from place to place. It was always good to see Ruby's upbeat side. They were adults now, but Ruby never seemed to lose her spunky attitude.

A call came from her scroll, snapping her back into the moment. She pulled it out of her pocket again and noticed it came from Winter Schnee. She picked it up. "Hello, Winter?"

"Yang? I need you to meet with me. Where are you?"

"In Upper Mistral. Where are you?"

"There's a hotel called Cherry Blossom Heights. I need you to go there with Ruby and head up to Room five forty-one."

"Got it."

"See you soon."

Yang hung up. "Hey Ruby! We need to go. Gotta meet Winter."

"Alright! Just a second," She yelled from across the pavement, attracting some attention.

Ruby ran over to Yang and they walked around in search for Cherry Blossom Heights. They found it in the west side of the Upper City, near the edge of one of the mountainous cliffs. It was a tall hotel, but it was also wide. They walked in and told the receptionists that they were guests in which they were given guest passes as a result.

They walked toward the elevator and took it to the fifth floor, walked out, and turned the corner where the sign on the wall marked with an arrow to the left read _Rooms One to Fifty_. They reached the room and knocked. A few seconds passed, and the door clicked and opened. Winter greeted them at the door and welcomed them inside where Raven, Qrow, Oscar, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and a woman with light-blue hair, all stood in various positions.

"Who's this?" Yang said, directing the question toward everyone else about the blue-haired woman.

"The name's Azure Branwen. I'm the current leader of the Branwen Tribe and I was asked to come here by Oscar."

"I see. So, what's up?" Yang asked.

Oscar stood up and stepped forward. "Raven and Qrow have finished their reconnaissance at the council chambers some time ago, Winter has acquired some important intel, and I think we're ready to discuss a plan."

"What's this intel?" Ruby asked.

"Hold on a moment. I should call Weiss and put her on speaker, so she can listen in. She wanted us to keep her informed," Yang said. She took out her scroll and called Weiss directly at her personal scroll. It didn't take long for her to pick up.

"Yang?" Weiss said.

"Yeah, Weiss? We're here with Winter and the others. We're about to discuss the situation here. Thought I'd include you," Yang said.

"Excellent!"

She placed the scroll over on the counter to her right and propped it up against the wall, putting her on speaker, her image clear for everyone else to see.

Winter nodded toward her sister and stepped forward. "Yes well, it relates to someone working closely with the new governor," Winter turned around and walked toward a table, then turned around again to face the group. "A former high-ranking officer is leading the New Dawn, something Ironwood had suspected. Now that I have confirmed this officer's presence and loyalties, the stakes of the situation have escalated."

"Who are we dealing with exactly?" Qrow asked, who sat and tapped his finger on the table to the opposite side.

"Former Colonel, Alexis Ravus. He was a man who was instrumental in funding and leading early efforts in the Atlas military's research into Aura. He was one of the ones who helped fund the Penny project, at Ironwood's behest. As you all know now, the whole point of Penny was to create a reliable host for the maiden powers, removing the randomness of the selection process. But it was more than that."

"Wait, wasn't that the research that was used to create the machine that you guys used to try and transfer Amber's powers over to Pyrrha?" Jaune asked.

"The same one. Which is why the situation has escalated. The world knows about the maidens now and Alexis left his position with the research. Which means the New Dawn has access to information which will allow them to effectively steal maiden powers if they so wish. If that is what they wish to do and word of it reaches the Mistral military and the rest of the kingdoms, this situation could escalate to all-out war," Winter sat down at the table.

Winter scanned everyone's faces, including Yang's. They were all absorbing the information, except for Oscar who she guessed had already expected this. "There's something else," Winter said.

"Like what?" Raven asked.

"I recently went over the dossiers of personnel that worked under the Penny Project and the project involving aura transfer. One of them sticks out, although they've stopped working for Atlas for quite a while," Winter said.

"Who?" Nora asked.

"Arthur Watts," Winter replied.

"That's not good," Oscar said.

"I've met Alexis before," Weiss said. "He did seem shady at the time, although I thought nothing of it. Having went to a few meetings with my father, I only assumed it was normal behavior for the politically active here. And before anyone asks, I'll check to make sure he hasn't purchased any major stockpiles of dust from us recently, and if he has, where they were shipped."

"Thank you, Weiss," Winter said.

Yang sighed. "Another war for the maidens, then?"

"Seems like it," Ren said.

"So, what's the plan?" Jaune asked.

"I have an idea, though I hate to be the one to say it." Oscar took a deep breath. "Considering the circumstances, we'll need to capture and interrogate the governor, at if he gives us no choice. Get rid of him."

The words shocked everyone but Winter, Raven, and Qrow.

"Wait, what?" Nora said.

"Yeah," Qrow said. "The governor is…a problem. Ironwood was right. He's definitely a fighter, probably an ex-huntsman of some sort. He's wearing fancy black armor and often has his face obscured by the helmet. And…" Qrow paused.

"And?" Yang asked.

"He's powerful." Qrow replied.

"When we were spying on him, he killed one of the soldiers of the New Dawn. Cut him down clean. Right through his armor and aura—all in a single stroke. But that's not really the problem, that just means we need to be careful when we confront him. The real problem is that the governor knows about the relics and is seeking the Gift of Destruction in particular," Raven said.

"Isn't that all the way in Vacuo, though?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, which is another problem," Oscar said.

"The current regime, aided by the New Dawn, is most likely preparing for an invasion of Vacuo. Considering the circumstances, we have to assume they want to capture the Spring Maiden and get the Gift of Knowledge to aid them," Winter said.

"Which puts a target on my head," Raven said.

"I personally don't care for these relics, nor the maidens, but from what I've discussed with Oscar earlier, the New Dawn itself is currently the biggest threat to the tribe, so I'll aid in what way I can, although don't expect the tribe to sacrifice themselves for the greater good," Azure said.

"We won't need them to," Raven said. "I do believe a distraction is in order. How are we going to get the governor to a vulnerable spot?"

"How about we have the Branwen Tribe attack the Upper City itself in a massive raid? Meanwhile, a small group of disguised Atlesian forces could come in and deal with some of the New Dawn soldiers? We want to make the council chambers vulnerable," Oscar said.

"Sounds fine by me," Azure said. "I'm sure you want us to minimize civilian casualties?"

Oscar nodded.

"What about the rest of us?" Jaune asked.

"There will be a parade in a week, during the time of the tribe's planned attack. A parade to officially inaugurate the new governor. He will be attending but will most likely return to the chambers sometime during the parade given what Raven and Qrow have told me about him. You all will be attending the parade to keep an eye on their forces. If you could take down any troops you can find, silently and without raising alarm that would be perfect, but don't worry about it if you can't," Winter said. "Meanwhile, Raven and I will stay close to each other and will sneak toward the council chambers as the governor makes his way there." She looked to Yang and Ruby.

"Got it," Ruby said.

"Alright, sounds good. Anything else?" Yang asked. "Wait, that reminds me. Qrow, Blake wanted me to ask you to spy on Nero, the leader of the Black Claw. She can give you all the details. She's really concerned about him and the dude is apparently unnaturally smart."

"Alright, that's sudden, but alright." Qrow stood up. "I'll give Blake a call and head over to her immediately."

"In the meantime, get a lay of the land. Check around the city, talk to people, gather information. The more the better," Winter said. "We need to be prepared in a week. I'll be contacting Ghira to see if he can spare some huntsman to help in keeping the peace when the chaos begins. I'm sure the White Fang will assist in that endeavor, given Blake's proclivities."

They all nodded. Most of them began funneling out of the door now and Yang walked up to pick up her scroll. She said goodbye to Weiss and hung up and left alongside Ruby, Mom, and Winter. She found herself wondering. Qrow and Raven had described the governor as powerful. She found her arm shaking again, but it was with excitement this time. She didn't try to push back the feeling. The battle was unavoidable, and she was hoping for a challenge this time. Something to get the blood flowing again. Something to spark the thrill inside her.


	4. Yang's Arc Chapter 2

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 2 – Escalation**

* * *

The both of them had been sitting around doing nothing for half an hour. Yang had slouched back with her hands behind her head on a bench near the hotel. "Let's do something! We should gather some information, or something. Anything beats waiting around for things to happen. I say we make them happen!" She wasn't exactly sure how they were supposed to help out since they usually did the fighting, not the heavy planning stuff; especially not this sort of planning. Capturing or assassinating a governor? Things were getting serious again. It felt kind of odd going through something this big again, though it honestly wasn't _that_ big compared to what they faced before.

"Got any ideas on where we even begin?" Ruby asked.

"I guess we just ask around first. We're supposed to be doing this because of the governor's plans to attack Vacuo and the climate he's creating right? Why don't we try and gauge peoples' opinions on the governor and see how they feel about all this?" Yang said.

"Ugh, sounds boring, but okay," Ruby said.

Yang chuckled. "Oh, believe me, I know. But, what can we do about it?" They both got up and walked around for a bit, walking passed rows and rows of buildings essentially people watching. She saw two women who were walking toward a building labeled _Antiques & Sundries from Across the Sea_. It was rather big for an antique shop. At least the ones she was familiar with. "Hey," She said, hoping to get their attention. They stopped and turned around.

"Can we help you?" one of them said with a nasally voice who covered the lower half of her face with a red fan.

"I just wanted to get your opinion on the new governor. What do you think of the coup? And the guy himself?" Yang asked.

"Dreadful, just dreadful! What are we? Savages?" The other one said, putting her pink-sleeved hand to her face.

"You know how Atlas is! This is how they do things. Besides, it's not like it matters. The governor needs the support of the rich, so it's not like we're in any danger," the one with the fan said to the other one.

"So, you don't mind the coup?" Ruby asked.

"Oh heavens no. We try and steer clear from politics. Besides, as far as I've heard, the council wasn't exactly righteous and free of corruption." The woman let her hand drop to the side of her pink, flowery kimono.

"Indeed. They probably deserved it to be honest. I'd say we give the governor a chance. I was personally never fond of having a council to begin with. I remember the stories my father used to tell me about the Emperor of Mistral back during and before the Great War—stories told from his father and his before him! Mistral never worked well with a democracy, I'd say," The woman started fanning her face.

"Careful, wouldn't want to speak the truth so loudly. People might disagree!" They started chuckling and walked off.

"Really? They're just leaving?" Ruby said.

"Well that was strange." She didn't know what to think about what she just heard, nor did she really care. It's not like she ever payed strong attention to these sorts of things. However, it did bother her how nonchalant they were about the whole issue. _The governor needs the support of the rich…_ she recalled those words and latched onto them. It was something at least. Perhaps it was something to go on. "Come on, let's ask around some more."

They walked up toward two guys who were dressed in business attire, both of them drinking some sort of wine. They noticed Yang and Ruby approaching. "Can we help you, ladies?" the both of them put on wide grins for some reason.

"Yeah, just wanted to know how you guys felt about this whole coup thing," Yang said.

"Who's asking?" the man on the left asked with a fat grin.

"No one, just two curious huntresses. You know how these things go. People getting stressed out tends to attract grimm. Just doing our duty," Yang replied.

"Ah! I see. Well then! I will say that I don't approve. Not that I approved of the council before with how ineffectual they've been. Allowing the old White Fang to do as they please, the attack on Haven years back, the thugs in the Lower City… They've just had this habit of letting things happen and I say good riddance! It's sad that it happened through violence, but…" He took a sip of his wine. "What are we going to do about it?" the man on the left said.

"Indeed. Politics is just so trite these days. I mean, do we even _need_ the government? Last I checked, the private sector has provided Mistral with everything it could ever need!" the man on the right said.

Yang just looked at them, stoic.

"Ha! You said it brother! Hopefully the new governor sees it the way we do and leaves us be!"

"Here here!" the both of them cheered with their wine glasses.

"Well, thanks you two," Yang said. Both her and Ruby walked off.

They continued to walk around and ask more people about their opinions on the new regime, the coup, the general vibe of the rich, their expectations. Most of them had the same opinions as the two women and guys from before. They were not remotely worried. They were all convinced that the governor needed them, that it was typical Atlas behavior, and that they were probably better off without what they all saw as an ineffectual council. Not one of them seemed to care about the uprisings, although a few did mention the poor as troublemakers and that it was to be expected.

She didn't bother to ask about the White Fang. Although she wanted to, she knew their answers would probably piss her off. As they continued to ask around they heard a scuffle coming from nearby. They both looked over and noticed a few armored soldiers along with a black-haired woman with a long braid going down her back, wearing an ornate harvest gold, black, and dark blue dress that seemed altered to be suited for combat. There was fire dust clearly sewed throughout her clothes.

"The New Dawn," Ruby said.

"How can you tell?" Yang asked.

"I recognize the armor. I don't know the woman, though," She responded.

The woman walked up to a small group of people and struck one of them. "I do believe I told you to keep this area clean! The parade is in a week and not only is it _not_ spotless, but you haven't filled the orders yet! How are we supposed to supply the troops with food if you can't even listen?" She yelled.

"Hey!" Yang yelled. The both of them walked up to them. _Don't make a scene, just get information_. She could have had the both of them hide and spy, but she didn't want to do it that way. She wanted to get up front and personal. She just had to make sure she didn't get too aggressive.

The soldiers readied their weapons as the two of them approached. The blue-eyed woman raised her right arm, signaling them to relax. "And who are you? And why are you interrupting?"

"No one. Just wanted to see if everything's alright," Yang said.

"It's none of your concern. I suggest you mind your own business," the woman angrily replied.

"Look, people have a right to be here and they have a right to ask simple questions." Yang folded her arms.

The woman gauged her and let out a big grin. "I'm sorry. Where are my manners. My name is Anastasia Vest and I am a Commanding Officer of the Governor's personal guard. I am here fulfilling a task needed for the parade. I assure you there is nothing to be concerned about."

 _Commanding Officer? Well that was easy. So, she's a talker._ "Hey, no problem, just wanted to make sure everything was fine. Give the governor my regards," Yang said as she waved, smiled, and walked off—Ruby walking beside her.

As they moved out of earshot, Ruby turned around to face the officer and then back around. "I've heard that woman's name before."

"Wait, really? From where?" Yang asked.

"I've gotta call Cinder," She responded.

"Wait, what? Why?" Cinder? Why Cinder? She assumed that Cinder was the person who told Ruby about the officer. Were they connected somehow? She only even thought of such a thing because of their personalities. But if there was something to that…

Ruby had taken out her scroll and called a number that was on a slip of paper. "Hey, Cinder? Yeah, I think I just met that Anastasia woman you told me about."

"You did? Black hair, blue eyes, bitchy attitude?" Cinder said, from the other side.

 _Is she really one to talk?_ Yang thought. She folded her arms.

"Yeah, that's the one," Ruby said.

"Tell me where you are," Cinder said.

"We're in the upper parts of Mistral. The rich section." Ruby looked around, clearly trying to find some sort of landmark. "We're near this restaurant called "Grand Gourmet Cuisine"."

"Sit tight, I'll meet you there," Cinder said.

"Okay…hoooow long are you going to take?" Ruby asked.

"A little while. You can wait, don't be a baby," Cinder said. She hung up.

 _Yup, definitely something there._ "Well, guess we wait for Cinder then." Yang walked over to a bench by an elaborate fountain that had several golden lion and dragon statues spewing out water. She sat down and crossed her right leg over the other and folded her arms.

They waited. While they waited, Yang took out her scroll and called her mother. "Hey, mom. What are you doing right now?"

"About to spy on the governor again. See if I can find anything out about his abilities, his guards, anything that we can use, why?" Mom replied.

"We met a woman named Anastasia Vest who claims to be the Commanding Officer of the governor's personal guard. She has black hair and blue eyes, wears a battle dress colored gold, black, and blue laced with fire dust. Thought you should know," Yang said.

"Got it," She said. "You'll be with Winter and I during the assault, you do know that right?"

"I kinda figured. Sure you even need the help?" Yang said.

"Can't be too careful. I've no doubt either one of us could take down the governor by himself, but if he has guards, and if what Winter said about Alexis is true, then the last thing we should be doing is sending a maiden in without having a good plan of attack."

"Makes sense. I should also let you know that Cinder is coming to meet with us. Apparently, she knows Anastasia somehow," Yang said.

"Great," Mom said sarcastically. "Look, I gotta go, the governor just arrived. Let me know if you learn anything else about Vest. And don't trust Cinder. She may have betrayed Salem, but that doesn't automatically make her an ally."

"Of course. No problem," The both of them hung up. She just sat there. Tapping her foot, arms crossed once more. She was anxious for a fight. A good one. The week couldn't pass fast enough. She tried to find something to keep her occupied while they waited. A thought popped in her head. She turned to Ruby who sat beside her. "Hey, what does Morgan think of all this?"

Ruby shrugged. "She doesn't care. She's primarily concerned about the dragon and armored guy who attacked Uncle Qrow and I a while ago."

"Wait, dragon and armored guy?"

"Yeah, I kinda didn't have time to tell anyone about it, and apparently neither did Qrow since it was just before Raven portaled us out of there. The dragon was made entirely of dust and could switch dust types! Don't know much about the guy riding it. I tried to use my eyes, but they failed. He said something, like I don't know...maybe he did something to my power."

"A dragon made of _dust_? That sounds awesome! First time I've heard of it. Though your eyes failing bit sounds a little worrying. Tell me more."

"Well, Morgan said I should try to use my eyes. When I did, the light was different. There was a darkness to it that wasn't there before. The dragon was clearly effected, then the man said, "not this time" and it…failed? The dragon healed itself, then well. That's pretty much it."

A darkness to her light? She assumed Morgan had something to do with that. Did the guy cancel it out somehow? That _was_ quite worrying. "Hey, why don't you ask Oscar about it. See if he still has any of Ozpin's old memories that might tell us something."

"You know what?" Ruby took out her scroll and called Oscar, putting him on speaker. "Hey, Oscar! I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" Oscar said.

"Qrow and I were attacked by a dragon made of dust. The light from my eyes seemed to have a new power to it. There was a darkness to it and it was able to hurt the dust dragon, but the man riding it somehow canceled it out, I think. Do you have any memories that might tell us something?" She asked.

"A dragon made of dust? When was this?"

"Right before Qrow and I returned through Raven's portal. The night he went to find me."

"And it could use the dust?"

"Yeah, it shifted color whenever it changed its attacks. Like, it was entirely made of fire dust, and then it would change its entire body to wind dust, and then lightning dust."

"I don't think so. As for your eyes, that's news to me. To outright cancel your power? Are you sure that's what he did?"

"I can't be certain, though what he said made it seem like he canceled them out."

"That's…concerning, Ruby. I'll try to look into it, though not sure where to begin. How are you feeling by the way? Any trouble with Morgan?"

"No, not really. She meant what she said. We're bffs now!"

"Bffs? Really?" Oscar said, incredulous.

"Well I mean, she _is_ literally me. It's not like I hate myself or anything," Ruby said.

"True. Anyways, I should get going. Plans to make," Oscar said.

"Sure thing! Also, Cinder might help us out," Ruby said.

"Wait, what?" Oscar said, before getting the chance to hang up.

"She knows one of the governor's commanding officers personally. She's coming to see us right now. We're just sitting around waiting for her," Ruby said.

"I see. Well then. I trust your instincts. Just keep me informed, alright?" Oscar responded.

"Sure thing!" Oscar hung up after receiving her reply.

" _Are_ you bffs?" Yang asked.

"Well, yeah I guess. Can you be bffs with yourself?"

"Don't you two have like, fundamental differences or something? I mean, what she did…"

"Yeah, I know." Ruby lowered her head. "She's my darkside. But she's still me. You said it yourself. We both want the same thing and if we work together…"

Yang smiled. She put her arm around her sister and pulled her in. "Fully grown, yet _still_ so adorable!"

"Hey, quit it!"

They waited for a few more minutes before Cinder arrived. They saw her right in front of the restaurant, although Anastasia and the soldiers had already moved on. She was traveling with Emerald and Mercury as always. She turned to her right and noticed them and walked over.

"Took you long enough," Yang said.

"Waiting. The one thing that'll end up killing you, I take it?" Cinder said.

"Oh ho! You have no idea," Yang said.

"Where's Anastasia?" Cinder asked.

"She moved on already. She was shaking someone down for not filling some food orders or something. She reminded me a lot of you," Yang said.

Cinder's expression changed. She frowned, and her eyes narrowed. There was an anger in her eyes she never really ever saw in Cinder before. _Guess I hit a nerve._ "Sorry about that. Who is she anyway?"

Cinder paused and sighed. "She's my stepsister. _Please_ don't compare me to her again."

"Alright, alright." _That sounded more like a threat than a request_ , she thought.

"Wait, you have a stepsister?" Emerald cut in.

Cinder turned her head to face her. "Yeah. She's not exactly one I love talking about. I assumed she died a long time ago, so I never brought her up. Then I found myself going through Watts' old stuff back at Salem's and found a file on her."

"So, I guess that means you oppose the New Dawn?" Ruby asked.

Cinder turned back to face Ruby. "Don't know much about them, but if they took her in, then yes, I do. Do you two have a plan?"

"If you want to know, you'd have to talk to Oscar, Ironwood, or Winter," Yang said.

She scoffed. "Of course, it'd be them. Alright." She motioned at Emerald and Mercury. "We talk to Oscar, then. Where can we find him?"

"I'll give you his number. I don't know where he is right now, but I already told him about you." Ruby handed over her scroll with Oscar's number on screen. Cinder copied it down in hers and handed back her scroll.

"We'll be in touch," Cinder said. The three of them walked off, seemingly heading in the direction of the governor's building.

Yang sighed. She couldn't think of anything else. "So, what do we do now?"

"Why don't we go looking around for guard placements or something?" Ruby replied.

Yang thought for a moment. What were the others doing? "We could contact Jaune. See if him, Ren, and Nora made any progress and need help or something."

"Sure! It'd be great to catch up with them if nothing else," Ruby said.

She knew she should be taking this more seriously, but she couldn't help but feel like it was a waste of time. Still, it would probably be best for her to keep herself busy, and what other way than to help out? She hoped that they would stumble upon _something_ terrible, something to signify the threat the New Dawn poses and not just politically. She recalled Winter's words about how Alexis was heavily involved in the projects which created Penny and the Aura Transfer Device. Was there a way for them to explore that? Surely Alexis would be planning something with information like that.

She had no clue, but as Ruby contacted Jaune and they went over to where they were, he told them they _did_ find something to go on. They had received word from Sun who had received word from Blake who had received word from Qrow about what was supposed to go down in a week's time and he relayed information about a large military base west of where they were. Deep at the bottom of the cliffs native to Mistral.

"Hey, I think we should check out the military base west of here. The one Sun told us about," Yang said.

"Should we? Isn't that a little beyond the scope of our mission?" Ren replied.

"No, she's right. We haven't been getting much leads and most of the soldiers we came across were well out in the open. They trust us as full-fledged huntsman and huntresses to freely do our part. We're not rookies anymore so we won't be reckless. I say we head there, scout out the base and then leave. No altercations," Jaune said.

 _Not like we couldn't take them, but yeah sure, alerting the whole organization would be pretty bad for the plan,_ Yang thought.

"Count me in," Nora said, excited. Ren simply sighed, smiled, and shrugged.

"So how do we get there without being seen?" Ruby asked.

"We'll have to hitch a ride to the nearest town or outpost, then walk the rest of the way. We could always ask Yang's mom to be on standby for a quick port out," Jaune said.

Ren took out his scroll and began messing with it. She assumed he was looking for such a spot.

"I'll go ahead and ask her," Yang replied. She took out her scroll and called Mom. No response. She must have still been spying. She left her a message, detailing their plan. "Guess we'll have to wait for her to respond. She was spying on the governor last I checked in."

"Alright, then we wait for a reply. If Raven can provide us with an escape, then we go through with this. Get in, get all the information we can, try to avoid any fights, then get out," Jaune said.

"Aye, aye, boss," Nora said, saluting.

With that, they twiddled their thumbs, so to speak, as they awaited a reply from her mom. She would be lying if she said she didn't hope for a fight to break out. There was a part of her that knew that she was being arrogant. She wasn't invincible, and she knew it, but still. She also knew it wasn't about that. She was tired sitting around all the time. She wanted to feel the _thrill_ again. To feel her blood rushing in the heat of a good fight, against an opponent that wouldn't try to underhandedly attack those she loved. Just a straight up brawl, and what better way to do that than against a hostile group of soldiers?

About an hour passed before she got a reply from Mom. The message simply said to be careful and that she'll be on standby. "Alright, we're good," Yang said.

"Alright then. Let's get going. Ren, have you found a place near the base?" Jaune asked.

"There's a small town nearby. Dust mining town. They do have an airship port, it's small though, so we might not be able to get a ride right away," Ren replied.

"It'll have to do. Let's head on over then," Jaune said.

They took a taxi over to the airship port at the back of Haven Academy as they figured that would be their best bet. The huntsmen and huntresses there wouldn't mind an airship being flown to a small town that would most likely have been troubled by grimm. They weren't wrong. Ghira acknowledged their presence and waved them goodbye as they walked to the airship landing itself. The five of them were a little large for a scouting group, but if nothing else, it would ensure that if things _did_ get rough, they'd have no problem getting out.

The airship dropped them off outside of the mining town which was built right next to the mining shaft itself which was protruding out from the cliffside. Even from there, they could see the large military installation off in the distance, also seemingly built into the side of the cliff. She could tell, even from where she was, that the base was of Atlesian design. Night had fallen, and they could see the search lights periodically scanning the perimeter outside of the base, but that's all she could make out. They'd have to get closer before they would be able to make out any further details.

They didn't spend much in the mining town except to wait for Jaune to tell some of the miners that they came just to investigate and clear out some nearby grimm, while visiting the scenery. He tried to be nonspecific just in case the miners got suspicious. Ren appreciated the effort as it would ease any flak the miners got if they were discovered. It shouldn't get them into trouble if they mentioned that a small group of huntsmen and huntresses were out on a small-time mission and to also relax to see the view the cliffs had to offer.

As soon as that business was done, they all made their way toward the base but in a non-direct way. They tried zigzagging here and there, just to make sure that anyone watching them leave wouldn't see them walking straight toward the base as they were still in view. Once they were sure that they were out of visual range of the town, they moved straight toward the base, trying to stay under the cover of the rocks, hills, and shrubbery—anything they could use to mask their presence. The searchlights were certainly a danger and so were the small airships hovering around the vicinity.

They stopped from cover to cover with Jaune signaling for them to move when it was safe. As they got closer and closer to the base, she could see just how large the base was. It was definitely deep into the cliffside and there were elevators rising up from the ground signifying that the base went underground as well. Of course, the base also had defenses in place all along the top of the enormous structure itself. Whatever was in here, whatever they were doing must have been important. In the back of her mind she thought that this might have been an Atlesian base and not a New Dawn one, but her concerns were put to rest as they got close enough to where they could hear voices over the intercom and chatter among the guards, she could see their armor and the symbol of the New Dawn placed on banners along the walls of the building. The symbol itself was a white sun atop a gold background.

Their group was too large now though, they needed to split up as they tried to find a way inside. They all huddled up behind a large rock placed not far from where they were. "So, what now? We split up on our way inside? Then meet back up?" Yang said

"Was just about to suggest that," Jaune said. He stood up a bit to get a view of the base over the rock then crouched down again. "Yang, Ren, you too go together to the left, see what you can find. Ruby and Nora to the right with me. We'll see if we can find another way in that isn't straight through the front."

"Got it. We could also take disguises if we need to. Knock out some guards, take their clothing, that sort of thing," Nora said.

"Not unless we have to. Don't want to raise our chances of alerting the base if they find the bodies," Ren said.

"Alright, let's do this. Keep in touch and let each other know if we find anything," Jaune said.

They all nodded and moved to their places. Ren moved behind Yang as she sauntered over to the left side. As she moved she noted that guard placements were less active there, though the spotlights and patrols moved to that area periodically. They inched closer and closer to the left edge of the base, getting closer to one of the elevators that went deep into the ground. It seemed to be less of an elevator and more of a way for them to mine…dust? Well, she knew now that this was partly a dust mining operation at least. There was another one of these shafts over on the right side, so she figured Jaune and the others would notice the same thing.

The both of them stopped and moved, stopped and moved—all to the rhythm of the spotlights and guard patrols. There was a deep indentation on the left edge of the base around the corner; it was hard to see, but perhaps that meant there was a way inside that way. She stopped and turned to Ren. "Let's check out the west edge over there. If we find nothing, wanna see what's down the shaft?"

"It's probably a way in if nothing else. We should contact the others before we jump down, though," Ren replied.

"Got it." They inched closer and closer now. It didn't look like there was a way in through the indentation. It seemed to be an aesthetic choice, so they'd have to contact the others. The good thing was that the indentation provided cover from the security of the place, so they moved to it anyway; they now had a safe place to make the call. As they reached the indentation, Ren pulled out his scroll and messaged Jaune, telling them of their plan. As he got the reply, she noted the message. It seemed that the others had the same idea. Going through the front was not an option and there didn't seem to be another way in. The both of them nodded to each other then looked over at the shaft and began inching closer to it, keeping to the rhythm of the searchlights, making sure only to move when they were in the clear.

As they reached the shaft, they looked at each other and nodded again. They waited for the elevator to reach the bottom and when it did, Ren jumped down with Yang following immediately after. The shaft was wide with plenty of room for the two of them to maneuver. Once they hit the bottom they were ready to attack but were surprised to find that most of the work here had been automated. It was definitely a dust mine and it extended all the way in the direction of the base, proving that it went underground. She looked over and found that Ren had messaged Jaune again, probably to confirm what they found.

They moved down the tunnel until they found a doorway guarded by two armored soldiers with guns. They hid behind the corner. "So, what now? Take them down quickly and take their gear?" Yang said.

"Don't see a choice, so yeah?" Ren shrugged.

They looked over at the guards again and then rushed the two of them, knocking them both unconscious in an instant. They dragged the bodies over to where they first landed and tried to hide them in the shadows of the shaft itself, near some gravity dust whose hue they hoped would help keep them hidden. They wasted no time in putting on the armor of the soldiers. She was surprised to find it was quite loose fitting. It stunk, but it fit. They must have been stationed there for hours.

They walked back to the door that had been guarded and opened it with the key that was in one of the pockets of the uniform, although it took her a bit to find it. When it opened, they found themselves in the dust processing part of the facility. There were guards posted throughout. They looked to the ones by a door on the other side of where they were and walked over. Once there, Ren approached the door, with her following.

"Just going on break, everything's clear, as usual," Ren said.

"Yeah, not like anything's gonna happen, but hey? Not much we can do about it, eh?" the guard on the left said.

"I hear that," Ren said as the both of them walked through the door.

Now they were in what seemed to be just a hallway which led to another door over on the other end. Ren messaged Jaune again, telling them where they were and in turn, asking where they were. Jaune replied that they had already made it further in and had found a map indicating a laboratory on the northwest side of the facility, indicating that the two of them were closer to it than they were.

"Well, it looks like we know where we're headed," Ren noted.

They walked over in the direction Jaune indicated. As they traveled from corridor to corridor, nodding to whomever walked by, they eventually reached an open area which seemed to be a break room of some sort. They walked over to a map placed on the wall and noticed they were very close to the laboratory, which was just two doors north to where they were. Although, the map said that guards were not allowed entry. As they walked toward the laboratory, to a spot where they were clear from anyone else, they stopped.

"See if we can find a ventilation system of some sort; maybe we can go through one of those," Yang whispered.

"You two!" someone said. A woman who wore more intricate armor than everyone else walked up to them. It seemed to be laced with dust, for her it was fire dust. "What are you doing?"

Ren instantly turned to face the woman and stood at attention. "Well you see ma'am, we were on break and then we ended up dawdling a bit. You know how these things are; standing guard, nothing ever happening, we apologize. We'll get back to our duty immediately," Ren said.

"Uh huh," She folded her arms. "Very well. Just don't go near the lab, understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Ren saluted, and so did Yang.

The armored woman walked off. "Damn Ren, that was smooth," Yang said.

"Thanks," Ren said.

"Are you always so quick and sharp like that with Nora?"

"Thaaaat's private."

"Aww come on, don't be stingy."

"I'm going to be stingy, sorry," He shrugged.

They walked around and checked the walls. They ended up backtracking all the way back to where the processing part was and eventually found a vent there. When no one was looking, they opened it and crawled inside of it. Now they backtracked yet again, but through the small vents, hoping it would take them north since they were more westward than they were before as the vent was located on the far end of the processing section.

They crawled and crawled, taking care to be weary of crawling over one of the sections where they could see into the rooms below so as to not be seen by anyone who just so happened to have been looking up. As they inched closer to what they hoped was the laboratory, they ended up having to crawl in separate directions, taking turns here and there. She worried that it wouldn't actually lead them there, that they would end up somewhere else and that the only way in was forcefully; as much as she wanted to fight, she didn't want to put the mission at risk. A few minutes more of crawling and checking up on the others, they eventually reached another one of the vents. Ren crawled over it to the other side, giving them both a view down below as they had noted the nature of the room which seemed to be scientific.

"Think this is it?" Yang whispered.

"Let's wait and see. Someone's coming," Ren replied with his own whisper.

"Research on the Dust-tuned is going well," one of the men said, a scientist in the typical lab coat.

"Yes, although not as much as Alexis prefers," another man said.

Ren took out his scroll and began recording.

"Well, regardless, it's progress. Soon these engines will be mass-produced, and we'll be able to use them ourselves or sell them on the black market," the third man said.

"And what of the governor?" the first man said.

"What about him?" the third man said.

"Don't you think it's strange? Where did he come from? Do we even know who he is?" the first man said.

There was a pause. "Owain Helios. No records, no history of any kind. Not registered on any of the academies or militaries—we can thank our spies for that. The man is like a ghost, a phantom," the second man said.

"Really? Nothing? This is the first time I'm hearing of this? Why do we trust him then? Why does Alexis trust him? I swear, that man has a bad habit of trusting the wrong people," the first man said.

"On the contrary. Working with Salem has brought immense benefits to our research. On the grimm, on dust, and now the maidens," the third man said.

Yang and Ren looked at each other.

"That doesn't answer my question as to why we trust the governor, why _Alexis_ trusts the governor," the first man said.

"It doesn't matter if we trust him, or if Alexis trusts him, and I think our dear commander knows that," the second man said. He stepped forward and paused. "You weren't there when the governor murdered the council. Alexis went there with Commander Vest to negotiate a deal, to try and open another facility, but Owain…" the man turned around. "He was the one who decided—all on his own—to murder the council. Alexis didn't speak up against it. He simply let it happen, and the governor treated the whole ordeal as if it was taking out the trash. The man's a monster I tell you. There was something off about him when I first met him. Something…wrong. And I don't intend to find out what that is."

"So, what? We trust a monster?" the first man said.

"We do our research. The governor has yet to intervene and he doesn't seem the least bit interested in any of this. Why he became governor is beyond me," the second man said. "Besides, most of our orders, most of Alexis' orders come from a man named Albus, although I don't know who that is."

"I've heard the name spoken by the commanders several times. Even from the mouth of the governor and the governor seems the most familiar with this Albus. I've heard the New Dawn has received new benefactors recently, a few years ago in fact, not long after that whole ordeal with team RWBY. I just assumed Albus was one of them," the third man said.

"I assume the governor is another, then? Benefactors. Plural," the first man said.

"Most likely," the second man said.

"Anyways," the third man said. "We should get these performance reports to Alexis. He'll be interested to hear how our new troops are acclimating to their new equipment."

Yang and Ren began moving back now, back from out of the vents to where they originally were. On the way, Ren had contacted Jaune and sent him the recording he made of the conversation between the three scientists. "I think we got what we came for. We shouldn't linger. We should reconvene with Jaune and the others and call Mom," Ren whispered.

"Got it," Yang said. The both of them returned to the dust processing room. As they exited the vents the alarm went off. The lights in the room repeatedly flickered red. The both of them rushed behind a large cylindrical tank and took cover. "Did we get caught?" Yang said.

"I don't think it was us," Ren said.

No one noticed them as all the personnel in the room stormed off toward the rest of the facility, chaotically forcing themselves in messing lines through each of the doorways, all armed and ready. "Jaune and the others must have been spotted," Yang said. She wasn't worried though. But it did raise the stakes a bit and getting caught kind of defeated the purpose of sneaking. "What do we do? Meet up with them now and fight or wait for them outside?"

A voice over the intercom spoke, "All personnel are to secure all facilities. We are under attack!" The room violently shook.

"I don't think it was them," Ren yelled. "I think we're about to find out why this base was so well guarded!"

"I thought it was standard military procedure!" Yang yelled amidst the alarm, shaking, and explosions clearly come from outside.

"They were scouting the area outside. I figured it was just like you said, but now I get the feeling it's more than that! Come on!"

Ren bolted away as she followed. The both of them rushed from out of the room toward the inside of the base. She pulled out her scroll, intending to send a message to Ruby, asking her where they were. She noticed Ren doing the same, having pulled out his scroll. They had already sent a message however, asking if they were the ones that got caught, confirming Ren's suspicions. They entered the break room and noticed three guards huddled together and walked up to them. "Hey," Yang shouted.

"Yang?" Jaune asked.

"Good, was hoping it was you guys," Yang said.

"What happened? Who tripped the alarm?" Nora asked.

"I don't think it was us," Ren said. "I think someone else is attacking."

"We need to get out of here. We can use the chaos to slip out undetected. Let's find some cover! Yang call your mom and tell her we're ready," Jaune said.

"Got it," Yang said. She called Mom and was glad to get a quick response. "Hey, Mom! We're ready, port us out!"

They all rushed over to the side of a wall that had been carved from the cliffside, which gave them some cover as they checked their surroundings for any guards. An instant later, a familiar portal opened, and they all jumped through, having arrived at the hotel room they all met earlier.

"Whew! Close one," Nora said.

They all took off their disguises piece by piece.

"Did you guys find anything?" Mom asked.

"Oh yeah!" Yang said.

"The base was attacked, although we weren't able to figure out by who. I managed to snatch a recording of a conversation between three scientists working with the New Dawn," Ren said as he tossed his scroll over to Mom.

She caught it and played it over in the corner. They stood there waiting for it to finish. When it did, she threw the scroll back to Ren. "Send me the file so I can send it to everyone else. Good work! Although I think you should have stuck around a bit more to figure out who might have attacked."

"True, but we didn't want to blow our cover as none of the guards seemed to be huntsman or huntresses. Either way, who are our potential suspects here? The White Fang?" Jaune said.

"Makes some sense. Sun _did_ inform us about the base, although I didn't think they'd be attacking it. We could ask them," Nora said as she looked at Yang.

"Guess I'll call Blake and ask," Yang said. She pulled out her scroll and dialed Blake's number. No answer. She must have been busy with another meeting. She tried calling Sun's number instead. This time there was an answer. She put the scroll on speaker. "Hey, Sun. Did you guys attack the base you told us about earlier?"

"No," Sun said. "Why? Was it attacked? Because if it was, it wasn't us."

"Are you sure?" She said.

"Yeah. It could have been Atlas. Not everyone there agrees with the New Dawn, right?"

"He's right. Ironwood is on our side and not Alexis'. He could have had something to do with the attack," Mom said.

"We could call _him_ then. See what's up," Yang said.

"Please do," Sun said. "Cause if it ain't Atlas, then I'm worried that it might have been the Black Claw, and I get the feeling we'd be taking the blame."

"That's right! Blake told us about them. We were there in the meeting. It's possible the Black Claw already decided to act," Yang said.

"I'll message Winter, see if she can pass the message to Ironwood and get back to us," Mom said. She took out her own scroll and sent the gist of what was going on to Winter, scouting mission and all.

There was a quick reply in the form of a call. "Winter," Mom said.

"I can affirm that it was not us who attacked the base, although I can't think of who would. We're not at war yet," Winter said, on speaker.

"This isn't good," Ren said.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"Tensions are high and now a military base was attacked. If this gets out of hand, this could spark the war we've all been afraid of," Ren said.

"He's right," Winter said. "I don't know who attacked them, but we'd better find out who immediately, so we can put a lid on this mess before it gets out of hand."

Sun was still on the line. "Did you get all that, Sun?" Yang said.

"Yup! I'll pass it all along to Blake. Better not be the Black Claw…I'll talk to you later, Yang," Sun said.

"Alright, check ya later," Yang said as she hung up and put away her scroll.

"The Black Claw?" Winter asked.

"Yeah, they're an anti-White Fang group. Their leader has been predicting and countering all of the White Fang's moves lately and the White Fang was just thinking of denouncing the New Dawn not long before the attack on the base happened," Yang said.

"So, Sun thinks this might have been a ploy to pin the blame on the White Fang then?" Winter asked.

"The Black Claw has been the White Fang's biggest enemy these days, according to Blake," Ruby said. "Based on what she told us it would make sense for it to be them."

"If it is the Black Claw and they do intend on blaming this attack on the White Fang, then we can expect evidence of White Fang-marked military tech to have been present at the attack," Winter said.

"Should we go back to the base? See if we can get a look at a distance with binoculars or something?" Nora said.

"Might not need to. Considering how these things go, I'd expect a news report about the attack not too long from now," Mom said. "We should pay attention to the media for a while."

"In the meantime, I'll inform Ironwood of what happened," Winter said.

"I'm going to send you the file of a recording of a few scientists that might help you guys out," Mom said.

"Alright, I'll take a look at it. Anything else?"

"I think that covers everything," Ren said. "We just wait now to see if our suspicions are correct."

"If it _was_ the Black Claw, then we should expect retaliation from the New Dawn. You might want to head over to Blake to see if she needs help. We might need a few huntsman and huntresses there to keep the peace to prevent this escalating to all-out war; last thing we need is for the Mistral Military to get involved." Mom said.

"Good idea," Jaune said.

"You guys coming with?" Yang asked.

"We'll catch up with you later. I think the three of us are going to go wait around town once this whole thing blows up on the news, see if we can gauge how people react," Jaune replied.

"We'll be over in Upper Mistral if you need anything," Ren said. "Oh! Almost forgot." He fiddled with his scroll. "There, sent you all the recording."

"Thanks," Ruby said.

"What about you, Mom? What'll you do?" Yang asked.

"Back to recon for me," Mom said.

"Alright. We'll, we'll be off now," Yang said.

* * *

They arrived back at the White Fang headquarters and were allowed in by the guards once they recognized Yang and Ruby. They walked inside and asked for Blake; they were told she was currently in her personal office in the building meeting with other members. They walked to the aforementioned office and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Blake's voice was muffled by the door.

"It's us," Yang said.

"Oh! Come in!"

Yang opened the door. Inside was Blake standing behind her desk, along with Sun, Ilia, and Adam. She gazed at Adam a bit longer than normal, memories not completely settled, but she didn't linger too long. She hoped he didn't notice. She didn't exactly look forward to an awkward conversation. "Did Sun inform you guys yet?"

"Yup. We're just waiting on the news," Sun said.

"You guys came to the same conclusion then?" Yang asked.

"Yeah," Ilia said. "What did you guys find at the base anyway?"

"Nothing _too_ spectacular. Seemed standard operation for a military base, except the lab was off-limits and something about dust engines. My mom doesn't have your number, so we should probably give you the file as well," Yang said.

Ruby took out her scroll.

"Dust engines? That seems pretty…mundane, actually," Blake said.

"Yeah," Adam replied. "Probably code for something else they're not supposed to talk about openly."

"Yeah, they mentioned "Dust-tuned", doesn't sound like they're talking about your typical engines," Yang concurred.

"Sent it," Ruby said.

Blake took out her scroll and played the recording the whole way through. Once it ended, they absorbed the information, sitting on it for a few minutes.

"Not much to go on based on that, but still, it's something," Sun said.

"It seems the governor has even the New Dawn worried," Adam said.

"And they have supporters, powerful ones. They said one of them was the governor. Which makes _him_ higher up on the totem pole than the current leader, right?" Ilia said.

"And another one named Albus. No idea who that could be, but I would assume a friend of the governor," Adam said.

"So, Owain and Albus. Two people we need more information on, people we need to watch out for. There might be more, but it's something. I'll have you three keep ears and eyes out for anything on them," Blake said.

"Aye aye, boss ma'am," Sun said.

"We should probably turn on the news," Ruby said. Who had checked her scroll after having sent the recording.

They all looked at her and then Blake shifted; she picked up a remote and turned on the television up on the upper left corner of the office. Video footage was playing in the background with a faunus journalist sitting at a desk. The headline read _White Fang attacks New Dawn Base. Have they declared War?_

"As you can see based on the video footage, a number of White Fang personnel have launched a massive attack on a military installation controlled by the New Dawn, the current ruling political party of Mistral. We have no word from Blake Belladonna, the current High Leader of the White Fang, and she has yet to comment on the incident," the journalist said.

"Wait, what? They haven't even contacted me," Blake said. She sat down and sighed, rubbing her temples. "The headline is terrible."

"They're really calling the New Dawn a _political party_? They're a group of mercs," Sun yelled.

"She's a faunus," Adam said.

"Meaning?" Blake asked.

"What if she's been bought by the Black Claw? The footage confirms this _was_ a set up by them. You didn't order the attack, and considering the blatant bias, we have to consider they have plants in the media," Adam said.

Blake sighed again, rubbing her temples ever more vigorously. She slammed her fist on her desk. "Damn you, Nero! It's such an obvious tactic too, yet the people of Mistral have no reason to believe it was a set up."

"You'd think with all the good we did these last few years, they'd give us the benefit of the doubt," Sun said.

"Not necessarily. The New Dawn engaged in a coup. It wouldn't be far-fetched for people to assume the White Fang might have done this due to patriotism or in defense of the prior administration. I mean, we _have_ been working in Mistral almost exclusively," Ilia said.

"She's right," Blake said. "Like it or not, this was an effective ploy, and now we have to deal with the fallout. I was expecting him to denounce the New Dawn before us, but to openly _attack_ them and blame it on us? He's pushing it, _really_ pushing it."

Yang folded her arms. Nero. There's that name again. The name started to bother even her. Considering he seemed to have been a huge thorn in Blake's side, it's no wonder the name would start to bother her. Was he really that much of a problem? After everything they've overcome, was a small-time thug really this much of a threat? She looked over to Adam. _Maybe I could break the ice a little,_ she thought. "Hey, Adam."

He turned to her. "Yeah?"

"When you tried to take down Nero, how strong was he?"

"Strong. Well. Problematic," He said.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"He…his semblance allowed him to somehow pass through my attacks. It's like he's intangible. He moved through the walls and through the ground. None of my attacks—even my own semblance did anything. They just passed right through him."

"That's…annoying," Yang said.

"You're telling me! The bastard has been a pain in our ass for over a year now and we can't seem to do a damn thing about him! His ability to predict and counter us extends to his underlings since he leads them, so whenever we try and weaken him indirectly, we're met with pushback." He started pacing. "It's gotten to the point where we're unable to afford meeting them head-on anymore."

"Adam…" Blake said. Her brow furrowed. "You know what? No more! Nero wants to play these games? Then so will I!"

"Blake?" Ilia said.

"I'm going to address the attack on the New Dawn base. I'm going to tell the truth. I won't accuse them, but I won't let him push us around anymore!"

"Is that a good idea, though?" Sun said.

"If Blake's the one to do it, yeah, it is. She's the reason why the White Fang became a trusted organization and not just toward faunus. If she makes the statement in person, I have no doubt people will rush to listen," Adam said.

That S.O.B really has come a long way, hasn't he? She almost felt an obligation to let bygones be bygones. I mean, why shouldn't she? He's no longer the enemy, he's repentant, and he's clearly been trying. Would the old her say that, though? Then again, it wasn't like she went gunning for him after what happened, it's not like she was blinded with rage and vengeance.

"Then it's settled. I'll address the media." Blake stood up and stormed out of the room. They all followed her. They were stopped by a few of the other high-ranking members of the White Fang.

"High Leader? You saw the news then? Please, let's not do anything hasty! We need to plan this out first," one of them said.

"It's not hasty." Blake turned to address everyone in the building. "Brothers and sisters! I won't let Nero push us around anymore. His influence has been eroding us ever so slowly, but no more! I'm going to address the media, denounce the attack, affirm that it wasn't us, and denounce the new regime—clearly and emphatically!"

There were cheers. Yang smiled, arms still folded. "Ahh, she's all grown up."

Ruby chuckled a little. The others were smiling too. Blake turned back around and walked away; they all continued to follow her. As she walked out of the building, she noticed that at the front of the building, near the gate where the security guards were—swaths of reporters were standing around, presumably waiting for a statement from her or a spokesperson. She walked up to them as they all rushed to her.

"Ms. Belladonna, what do you have to say about the White Fang attack on the New Dawn? Did you give the order?" One reporter said.

"Do you intend to go to war with the new regime?" Another one asked.

"What about your efforts for peace? Do you intend to shift the White Fang's current policy?" Yet another said, this time a faunus.

Blake took a deep breath. "The White Fang was _not_ responsible for the attack! Whoever it was clearly intended to put the blame on us, but I can assure you that we were not responsible and if members of our organization _did_ commit the attack, then they did so as rogue agents and I wholeheartedly condemn them and their actions. We have been and remain committed to peace and to mending the relationship between humans and faunus, and although that is still and will always be the case, I and the rest of the White Fang must also denounce the violent actions of the new regime. Bloodshed is not the answer to our problems nor will it ever be! Thank you and have a good day."

The voices roared, and a tidal wave of new questions poured over her as she stormed off back in their direction back toward the building. They all walked inside.

Yang could only feel proud of Blake and her short speech. No nonsense, forceful, and quick. If that didn't do it, then she didn't know what would. Nero probably saw that since there were cameras present. Wonder how pissed he's going to be.

"Well, there you have it. I feel good. You guys feel good?" Sun said.

"I'm a little more relaxed, yeah," Ilia said.

"We're not done yet," Blake said as she stopped in her tracks and turned around to face them. "Nero's not gonna take that sitting down. We need to be prepared for his response. I'm going to call back the members currently in Mistral while we prepare for the parade a few days from now. I've already assigned bodyguards to key members, and I'll need you three to stick with me while we wait for him to make his move."

Sun, Ilia, and Adam all nodded.

"Do you need any help from us?" Yang asked.

"Unless you're busy, yes. I want to contact Qrow to see if he's found anything especially now that I've given my response to the media. It should give us something to work with. When he does respond, I want you nearby as I want to send you off to counter anything the Black Claw does based on Qrow's information."

"Will do," Ruby said with a big smirk.

Blake contacted Qrow to come meet them in her office. They waited around for a few minutes before Qrow responded, affirming that he managed to get some information on Nero and that he'd stop by as soon as he could. So, they waited around some more. It took around an hour before they received another message from him telling them that he was on his way. Another thirty minutes passed before Qrow arrived, knocking on the door to her office.

"Come in!" Blake said.

The door opened and Qrow walked in. "I saw your speech on the news. Nice job." He shut the door behind him.

"So, what did you find on Nero?" Adam asked.

"Bits and pieces. Like how he knew I was shapeshifted," Qrow said.

"Wait, what?" Blake asked, rather shocked.

"Yeah. I was perched up on top of his little base—most likely a decoy base, mind you—and he was just sitting there, reading. As soon as one of the members of the Black Claw came in to meet him, he simply looked up at me and said "Do you mind? I'm busy," and literally sat there staring at me until I left."

"That's…surprising," Blake said.

"You don't say," Yang said. "How could he know that though?"

"It's possible he used to work with Salem. Come to think of it, if he did, it would explain why he knows so much about us, and now Qrow too. The White Fang used to work with her, and he must have been given that information," Adam said, as he turned to Blake. "Especially once you became a threat to her."

"So, what? He's mad that his master is dead or something? Out for vengeance?" Sun said.

"Possibly, although I'm not sure that's the case," Qrow said. They all looked at him. "I went to try and spy on him again, although this time I had to stay behind cover—even as a crow. Take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt though, since if he knew I was a crow, and he knew so much about you all, it's very likely he knew I'd find a way to spy on him regardless."

They all nodded.

"He's ignorant of a few things I don't think he'd be ignorant of if he were a high-ranking member of Salem's faction, a member that could be given such intimate details on us. He was ignorant of the maidens and certainly doesn't know who any of them are, and he's aware of the vaults though that seemed to be because another member previously informed him about them; there was no mention of the relics. He's somewhat fascinated with the huntsmen academies—as if he'd never heard of them, and he's waiting on the governor to make his move, though he didn't mention why, rather, that he'd act when the governor did," Qrow said.

"Could they be working together?" Ilia said.

"Possibly. Or perhaps he has a beef with the governor. He _did_ attack one of the New Dawn's bases. He could have done other things to try and fight back against the White Fang, yet he chose to attack the New Dawn," Qrow said.

Blake looked like she was contemplating something. "I still don't understand what issue he has with the White Fang. And now this whole scuffle with the New Dawn…Thank you Qrow, was there anything else you found?"

"Mostly stuff about their organizational structure, which is typical. Similar to how you seem to run things: inner council, few trusted members not a part of the inner council, everyone else left to do the work of the organization," Qrow said.

"So, what now?" Ruby asked.

"Sun, Ilia, Adam? I need you to do a sweep of Lower Mistral, see if you can find any activity of the New Dawn or the Black Claw. If you don't find anything, see if you can help people out in some way," Blake said.

The three of them simply nodded and walked from out of the office.

"Can you three accompany me to this base?" Blake asked, addressing Yang, Ruby, and Qrow.

"The one I infiltrated?" Qrow asked.

"Yes. I want to pay it a visit. There's something I want to find out," Blake said.

"Little dangerous don't you think?" Qrow asked.

"We got three members of Team RWBY with us, we'll be fine!" Yang said, arms crossed.

"True, but…let's not let things get out of hand alright. Our primary concern is still the New Dawn and their mission to acquire the Relic of Destruction," Qrow said.

"We won't take long, and I assure you, I won't let this escalate," Blake said. "Although…" She got up and walked over to a large cabinet and pulled out a hooded cloak. "I'm going to need to hide my identity if I'm going to be walking out on the streets."

"Good idea," Yang said. "Well, let's get going then!"

They all walked out of the office. Blake left a few orders for the guards and sent a message via scroll to her inner council, most likely informing them of where she was going. They walked toward the exit and went toward Lower Mistral, riding down the streets on bikes, though Qrow flew.

Yang looked around and scanned the people as they rode. It seemed people were more on edge now than they were before. The air here was much more anxious than the air in Upper Mistral. Made sense. Even the rich openly admitted it. Whatever happened probably wouldn't affect them, but it _would_ affect the people here. No wonder they were all on edge.

They reached the base Qrow had spoken of after a few minutes of riding—which had no guards posted in front or anywhere they could see. It looked like a repurposed warehouse. They got off their bikes and propped them up. Qrow transformed and walked over to two double doors and opened them as the three of them put up their guards, ready for an attack. Nothing. They walked inside, the lights were on, but no one seemed to be home.

They walked through the building. Blake suddenly stopped in her tracks. "I knew it. You were right Qrow. It _was_ a decoy. No one is here."

"Yeah. It's also possible a lot of what I've heard was also meant to mislead us. Back at square one, eh?" Qrow said.

"Blake," A voice said.

They all put up their guards again.

"That voice!" Blake said.

They all looked to where the voice came from as a man cloaked in black, bits of white here and there, and a touch of gold, wearing a white mask—much like what the old White Fang used to wear—came strolling out.

"Nero!" Blake yelled.

Nero clapped. "Excellent speech. I would have said the same thing had our positions been reversed."

Yang blazed at him with a punch and phased through his head. "Damn!"

Nero ignored the assault. "Why do you insist on taking on the role of a leader?"

"What?" Blake asked.

"I'll admit. The speech was wonderful and an excellent response. One I expected, but still! Seeing it rather than simply knowing it would happen are two entirely different things. However, you are much more suited to the shadows than the limelight," Nero said.

"She can be wherever the hell she wants!" Yang yelled as she threw another punch at him as it still phased through.

"Even so," Nero said. "She's stunting her own abilities and growth this way. You should have had Ghira keep the position."

"Why are you telling me this, Nero? Why are you even here?" Blake asked.

"To raise the stakes!" He charged at Blake, a blade of darkness forming around his right forearm, extending over and passed his hand. He swung at her head as she ducked under it. Ruby jumped backward as Full Rose transformed into Rose Petals—firing a volley of dust shots at him. They phased through. Yang threw a flurry of punches and kicks at him, each one more explosive and overpowering than the last as each one of them phased through him. Yang stepped back as Qrow swung his scythe at him failing to get a hit.

Blake charged at him in return, pulling out Gambol Shroud, and began her own flurry of blows, each one supplemented by a clone of shadows, mimicking her attacks. A lot of the attacks phased through him as he dodged others—a combination of phasing and dodging. Blake bolted backward, leaving behind a clone of fire dust as it exploded. Nero stepped backward and extended his hand toward the clone the instant it exploded as it fizzled out.

He stood there. They all stood their ground, gauging him. "Not bad, Blake. Still so much room for improvement though," he said.

"What do you want? Why are you so obsessed with stopping the White Fang?" Blake yelled.

"I'm not interested in stopping the White Fang. I'm only interested in stopping _you_ ," He replied.

"What?" Blake said, surprised.

"One of four legendary huntresses… You, you are my target, Blake."

Yang cocked back her fist and thrusted it forward, firing off a shot from her gauntlet as it simply passed through him. "If that was the case, then you'd be after _all_ of us! The entirety of Team RWBY, so cut the crap!"

He turned to her. "Indeed. I _should_ be after you all, but I'm not going to pursue that line of attack. Blake is the only one I'm interested in."

"Why?" Blake asked.

"You'll have to figure that one out yourself." Nero turned around and walked toward the shadows—blade of darkness dissipating—to the spot he originally walked out of.

They didn't bother trying to stop him knowing full well their attacks would simply pass through.

"Is there nothing I can do to get you to stop?" Blake asked.

Nero stopped in his tracks. "Quit. Quit being the leader, quit being a huntress, and go back to the shadows."

Her expression became stern. "I can't do that."

"I know." He continued his walk into the darkness.

Yang ran to where he walked. He was gone. She walked back to where they were. "Vanished."

"That guy is gonna be a pain to deal with, you know that, right?" Qrow said to Blake.

"Yeah, I know. But now I definitely can't stop. I _will_ stop him, and I _will_ find out why he has such a grudge against me!"

"Do you think he's a remnant of the old White Fang? Maybe he disagrees with what you did, how you changed it, how you were the spark for it all," Yang said.

"Possibly," Blake said. "I'll ask Adam. I'll ask him and anyone else in the current organization who used to be a member of the old order, to see if they've ever met anyone with a phasing semblance."

"In the meantime, can we still rely on the White Fang to provide security during the parade in the event things get out of hand?" Qrow asked.

"Of course!" Blake said. "I'll have volunteers ready to go the night before the parade. They'll be in position throughout both Lower and Upper Mistral early in the morning, just in time for the festivities."

"Thanks," Qrow said. He took out his scroll and looked at it. "Catch you all later. Oscar wants me for something."

Qrow walked off.

"By the way, Blake," Yang said. "When we fought Nero, did you notice?"

"Notice what?" Blake asked.

"Nero didn't phase through all of your attacks. He dodged some of them too," She said. "He's not unbeatable. He dodged, because he could be hurt, that's why people dodge."

"You're right! I didn't make anything of it at the time. I don't think I even noticed, but you're right!" Blake said. She sighed. "Anyway, I should get back."

"Right," Yang said.

The three of them exited the building. As they walked out into the open, they all looked up, gazing at the storm clouds above which have begun to darken even more, lightning and thunder crackling more fiercely now than ever before.

"Bad storm coming. Parade might end up getting called off at this point," Blake said.

"Maybe. We haven't gotten any word from the others about a cancellation of plans, though," Ruby said.

"True," Blake said.

Yang looked up at the storm. The timing was impeccable at least. But where was the rain? The clouds have been there for almost a week now and it just got worse, but there wasn't ever any rain. The wind had picked up and the lightning got worse but that was it. What a strange storm.


	5. Yang's Arc Chapter 3

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 3 – The Red Parade**

* * *

Yang sat around and practically did nothing for the last two days and she was antsy for some excitement. Today was the day of the parade, the day they were to capture the governor or take him down if he didn't go quietly. Even though today _was_ the day, time went by slowly, crawling forward minute by minute as she sat there in the hotel room, arms crossed, right leg over the other, tapping her left foot on the ground.

What was she supposed to do? Oh right! Go with Mom and Winter, alongside Ruby and capture the governor when he went off alone—possibly with an entourage of guards—back toward the governor's mansion. The plan seemed a bit excessive, but hey! Nothing wrong with a little overkill. She hoped, _really_ hoped the governor was as fearsome as everyone was making him out to be. Were they though? Supposedly he was just a monster, one of those cruel type of folk that liked squishing the little guy, and that he was a powerful fighter, _not_ that he was a force to be reckoned with or anything. She felt a twinge of disappointment.

 _Maybe after this I'll ask mom or Ruby to join me in a tournament,_ she thought. The last time that happened she went up against her mom unexpectedly and it was amazing! This time, she should make it more interesting. A three-way! Herself, Ruby, and Mom—all against one another to see who's the strongest of the three of them. She thought about asking her dad to join but he's been out of it for a while, so she wasn't sure if he'd even want to join.

The door opened, and Oscar walked inside. "Hey Yang! Good to see you're here. We'll be heading out shortly once everyone arrives and we go over the plan."

"Good. Can't wait to get this over with," She said.

Oscar chuckled. "Yeah, I hear that. Not exactly exhilarating work, is it?"

She smiled as she leaned back on her chair, putting her hands behind her head. "Nope. At least it won't be too stressful."

"Well, you never know!" He smiled back.

"True, true."

Other people started arriving one after the other. First Qrow, then Mom who came in normally instead of porting, then Ruby who wanted some time by herself, then Blake, followed by Winter, team JNPR, and even Cinder and her posse. The situation was going to get awkward quickly. Winter walked over to a table and made a call, placing her scroll on it, propping it up. The call went through and Weiss appeared on the screen.

"Guess we're all here, then?" Oscar asked.

"You guys didn't tell me Cinder was in on this," Jaune said.

Cinder looked over to him. "This is a mutual arrangement. There's someone in the New Dawn I'd very much like dead, so I figured I'd lend some assistance."

"Oh, is that all?" Jaune asked, sarcastically.

"Look, the past is the past. I'm not interested in playing the villain anymore," She said.

"Alright you two, this isn't the time or place for this," Mom said. She walked forward, giving Cinder a look. "So, is the plan more or less the same?"

Oscar coughed a bit. "Don't see why not. From what I've been told, Ms. Vest—Cinder's stepsister—is often traveling alongside the governor and seems to hold him in high regard, so we can assume she'll be present to defend him when we engage him, right? So let's have Cinder join the main assault group—Raven, Winter, Yang, and Ruby. She, alongside Emerald, and Mercury will be key in keeping the conflict at a minimum. We'll need to ensure when we capture or neutralize the governor that the situation remains on the down-low so to speak. The media will inevitably report on the missing governor and we need to ensure our identities are kept secret. Does that sound okay?"

"Oh, she won't be a problem, trust me," Cinder said, ecstatic. "Emerald will ensure she's blind to what'll happen to the governor. I'll be the one to take her down, understood?" She said.

"Sure thing!" Oscar replied.

"Meanwhile, the three of you will be on the lookout," Qrow said to Jaune, Ren, and Nora. "We'll need you to be close by to the conflict when it happens though, just in case. Your semblance will be invaluable in protecting innocent lives," addressing Jaune.

"Got it," Jaune replied.

"The White Fang is ready to go. They're wearing ordinary clothing and won't stand out from the crowds. During the festivities, they'll be providing security and protecting civilians from anything. An event like this may draw in the grimm, so they'll be ready for that as well. Some huntsmen and huntresses will be assisting thanks to my father," Blake said.

"Do you have any troops out in the open?" Qrow asked.

"I have a few that'll wear their uniforms openly. They'll be assisting the police in their ordinary duties considering the circumstances. They might not have enough staff otherwise."

"What about the Branwen Tribe?" Mom asked.

"They'll be ready to make their move when I give the signal. The moment the governor heads back to the mansion, I'll give said signal. When that happens, Azure and her forces will ensure the New Dawn and any of their supporters will be too busy fending off the bandits," Oscar said.

"Also, I'm concerned about the Black Claw. I fear they might interfere, so I gave the White Fang extra orders. I hope you don't mind," Blake interjected.

"Not at all," Oscar said.

"The parade will last all day in the form of a festival up until night time, around eight o'clock. Around that point, the march itself will begin and that's when we'll all get into place. Blake, I've asked Ironwood to supply me with more forces to help deal with the Black Claw should they interfere. The discussion from the other day had me worried about them," Winter said.

"Thank you, Winter!" Blake said.

"On that note," Weiss interjected. "I've managed to pass through a shipment of dust to the White Fang. I'm sure your people have already picked it up by now."

"You too, Weiss, thanks!" Blake said.

"Not a problem," She said. "I should also mention that the politics over here have taken a bit of a turn as people are waiting to see what happens. If I may make a proposition, anything that shows people that Atlas is not looking to conquer Mistral would do wonders in lowering tensions."

"Sounds like a good idea. Though I think that'll mostly be on Winter. Though I think some of us could vouch for the Atlesian troops should something occur," Oscar said.

"What about the governor himself?" Yang asked. "Did you find out anything more about how strong he is?" She was a bit torn on this issue. She wanted him to be strong sure, but not strong enough to where people died or some of her friends got hurt or worse.

"Nope, afraid not," Qrow said. "Not that it matters. So long as we don't get careless, we shouldn't have a problem. The biggest concern is ensuring this doesn't escalate. Worst case scenario, it escalates, and they pull out some crazy tech to steal one of the maidens' powers. Hence why it's important we don't mess this up."

"Do you know if they have this tech ready and usable?" Cinder asked.

"Afraid not, other than they most likely have it given Alexis' involvement in the Aura Transfer Device and his former employee—Arthur Watts—and his association with your former master," Winter said, almost accusatory.

Cinder rolled her eyes.

Oscar sighed. "Listen, whether they have the tech or not, we have to assume they have it and they're ready to use it. Emerald? Are you ready to help protect the maidens? If Cinder or the others lost their powers…"

Emerald smirked and crossed her arms. "Oh, I got it. I've been training with my semblance, I've got this covered!"

"What about Vest, boss? She a tough fighter?" Mercury asked, lazily leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"She's a coward, conniving, and petty, so just watch your back—and I better not here another snide remark from you," She gave Jaune another glare.

He simply glared back.

"Anyway! We should head out. Don't do anything to stand out. Take part in the festival, get something to eat, drink, and just chill out, but keep your eyes open till eight o'clock," Qrow said.

They all exited the hotel room and split up. "Hey, I think I'm gonna go off on my own for a bit," Ruby said.

"Oh? Something up?" Yang asked.

"Nah, it's just Morgan wanted to do some recon herself."

"Nothing shady or questionable I assume?"

"No, no, don't worry!"

"Alrighty then! Have fun!" She turned around and walked off with a wave of her hand. Hopefully nothing _did_ happen. She trusted her little sister though. She was sure nothing would happen. Whatever her issue was, she was still Ruby. Though she couldn't ignore the oddity of it all. Ruby had a darkside? That _physically_ manifested and could take over her body? That almost killed her mother? That was some pretty heavy stuff! The biggest part of it all was _how_? And why now? One would think that if Ruby had a corporeal darkside, they'd have noticed it by now. What changed? What did it mean, if anything? Ruby was more attuned to the light than anyone else thanks to her eyes. That, and her natural personality. That concerned her more. Perhaps this had something to do with her eyes then. Ruby _was_ unusually gifted in them, even by the standards set by passed silver-eyed warriors.

She reached Upper Mistral and stumbled upon stalls and stalls of things to do, foods to eat, prizes to win, songs, people dancing, tents, and buildings temporarily set up to provide services to festival goers. It was odd to say the least considering fear of war was supposed to be in the air. But maybe that's why people were so easy-going. Wasn't this part of Mistral always this way? Easy-going? Maybe that's just how they coped. Perhaps it wasn't indifference, but _fear_. Fear that whatever the government did, they couldn't actually do anything to stop it, fear for their lives considering the current regime's supposed penchant for violence. Perhaps they tell themselves the governor needs them to ease their worries.

What the hell was she doing? Enjoy the damn festivities! She rushed over to one of the stalls and ended up next to Mercury who was playing a shooting game. "Hey, Merc, what's up?"

"Ah you know, just chillin. I _want_ that sabretooth tiger necklace they're offering. Think it's legit?" Mercury said.

"Legit? Here? At a festival?" Yang replied.

"Well, this _is_ mostly for rich people, right? You'd think they'd do something like this," He said.

"True."

He took a shot at one of the five holes laid out vertically, clearly aiming for the center one. He missed. "Ahh, tough luck kiddo! Would you like to try again? Just have to pay the entry fee again!" The clerk said.

"Kiddo? And yeah, I'll try again," He said.

"By the way, where's Em?"

"With Cinder probably." He took another shot, missing again. He payed the entry fee again. People were just standing around, apparently entertained by his repeated failures.

"Doing what? Are those two…you know," she asked.

"Heh, she wishes! Although she did get senpai to notice her," He took another shot, missing yet again. "Damn it!"

"You did not seriously just say that," She said.

"What are you going to do about it?" He took another shot, making it this time. "Finally!"

"How did you even miss all those shots?" She said

"Well, will you look at that! Looks like perseverance does pay off, folks! What prize would you like?" the clerk said.

"Give me that fang right over there," he pointed at the tooth he mentioned earlier. "Bad day maybe?" He said to Yang.

"Good choice!" The clerk picked it up and tossed it over to him. "Would you like to go again? Maybe some other prize interests you?"

"Nah, I'm good, thanks." He walked off.

She walked beside him. "Sooooo, what have you been up to the last few years?"

"Bored, are we?" he asked.

"Yup. Unbearably so."

"I hear that. Like, after what we've seen, how can regular grimm and toy soldiers be threatening anymore. Like yeah, I get that they can _technically_ shoot me if I ran out of aura or hell, even deplete it if they got lucky, but it's…just not the same anymore."

"God, tell me about it!"

"I miss the good old days when we were enemies," he said.

"You know what? Me too. Hope it's not weird to say that," she said.

"Not at all. Well, here's hoping the governor puts on a show if nothing else," he said.

"Yeeeah, but I don't see that happening. Not with my mom, Winter, Cinder, me, and Ruby, and you, and Em there as well."

"True, true. Hey!" He shrugged. "You never know!"

"Hey, wanna check out that thing over there!" She said, pointing to what seemed like a sort of makeshift dodgeball arena with a sign that read _Everyone welcome! NO AURA!_

"Sure, why not! Sounds like fun!" They both walked over to the dodgeball arena and purchased their way in. Mercury went to the opposing team which wasn't surprising. Wouldn't be fun otherwise.

The referee counted down from ten to one and blew the whistle, everyone charged toward the center, grabbing as many of the balls as they could. Yang simply stood back and so did Mercury as a hurl of balls flew in from every direction. She caught one and threw it back to her attacker as it hit him in the head.

"Oh! That's one down already!" The announcer said.

Mercury was doing the same, catching a ball here and there, returning them to their attackers, sometimes to someone else. The both of them dominated the court as no one could touch them. Each of them blocking, dodging, catching every dodgeball that hurled their way only to return it back. Before anyone even knew it, the only ones left were the two of them.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me, blonde!"

"Hope you're ready!"

"Give me your best shot!"

She shot the ball at him as he sidestepped, hurling his ball at the same time yet to the side as it bounced off the wall behind her shooting toward her back. She sidestepped away and picked up another ball and did the same—hurling the ball at an angle away from him only for it to bounce off the wall toward his side. He dodged again—ball in both hands this time—as he chucked them both at two of the opposite corners, both of them bouncing off and toward both her sides. He picked up another ball as he threw it behind her again—it bounced off the wall once more. She simply ducked and swerved at an angle, dodging all three of the balls at the same time.

"Not bad, not bad!" Mercury said. He picked up two more balls.

"Not bad yourself!" She did the same.

"Hey, is it me or does that woman look like Yang Xiao Long?" one of the people in the crowd said.

"Nah, no way, you're seeing things!" Another one said. The both of them had continued their dodgeball war, endlessly throwing elaborate and convoluted passes toward each other, each of them dodging whatever the other one threw their way.

"You know what? I think you're right! That _is_ Yang Xiao Long! Holy crap, man!"

"Right? No wonder she's incredible. The other guy must be one of her huntsman pals."

Should she be worried that she was being recognized by people in the crowd? Wasn't she supposed to stay low and avoid making a scene? Did this even _count_ as making a scene? She ducked, sidestepped, and swerved passed three balls. Wait, if someone in the New Dawn got wind that one of the members of team RWBY was present, would they increase their security in some way? She chucked two balls at different angles.

They must have known team RWBY wouldn't condone their actions. "Damn," She said under her breath. She remembered something. Her little meeting with Anastasia Vest. She seemed to recognize her and was awfully quick to buckle. She rolled to the side, passed two balls. That wasn't good. That probably meant the New Dawn already knew she was there. They also know Blake is the leader of the White Fang and she just recently denounced them. She needed to inform the others.

Three balls barreled at her as she jumped over them. Just in case. It would be fine of course, but they didn't get this far by underestimating their enemies and lowering their guard, and they certainly wouldn't start now. Better safe than sorry as the cliché goes. She jumped forward and dived into a roll to the balls, dodging all of Mercury's attacks. She picked up two more balls and chucked them at him and as she did, she grabbed two more and threw them to the side; as they bounced off, four balls were headed toward Mercury all at the same time; she grabbed one more and threw it directly at him.

He managed to dodge three of the balls, and the moment he got hit by one of them, he caught the last one.

"Oh! Double knock out! It's a tie folks!" The crowd cheered. She turned around and noticed it was much bigger than it was before. People clearly recognized her. Mercury walked up to her. "This is gonna get out of hand quick. We should move out the back," he said.

"Good idea," Yang said. The both of them rushed out the back of the arena and went to an open space where they were clear of the crowd. "Yeah, they definitely recognized me. But that's not the problem. Anastasia recognized me too," She said.

"So, you thinking they're going to prepare for you guys? Blake denouncing them, you, and they're probably not out of the loop on the SDC's activities. All we need now is for Ruby to do something to them."

"Yeah. I should probably give the others a heads-up just in case. Give me a sec," She said as she took out her scroll and called Oscar. He picked up a moment later.

"Yang? What's up?"

"I've been recognized by quite a few people, but I think Anastasia also recognized me a few days back. Would that be a problem?"

"It's possible, though I wouldn't worry about it. We've already considered your reputations when we made our plans, which is why we need to be quiet. People recognizing you is not something to worry about, but if they became aware of what we might do, then yes."

"Alright, good. Just thought I'd give a heads-up. Vest had a look when she saw me," She said.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. So long as Azure does her part, we should be fine. Cinder's addition should counter any efforts they've made in preparing for team RWBY's involvement. Remember, a big portion of this plan is to distract the New Dawn with something much more pressing than the _possibility_ that team RWBY might do _something_."

"Noted. I'll talk to you later then." Yang said, hanging up. She sighed. She noticed Mercury had walked off to check out more of the sites. Guess she should too before nightfall. She walked around from stall to stall aimlessly, anxious for the actual parade to begin. Time went by painfully slow right until she noticed the sun setting. She heard loud music out in the distance coming from the direction of the governor's mansion. It was a waltz that had a dark feel to it. It was a bit faster paced and felt more like dance music. Fireworks shot up into the sky and people all began moving over to the sides, clearing a path. She ran over to a spot near the path the parade was going to walk passed but not too close. She wanted to get a good look at the governor now that the parade was starting.

She got a message from Winter, telling her to meet up and where she was. She ran over to her location which was sort of nearby, although she had to maneuver through a few alleyways to avoid having to trudge through the crowds and risk getting recognized again.

Winter nodded to her as she arrived through a path between the second floors of a couple of buildings, jumping down to the ground; her mom was also standing nearby, arms folded and leaning against a poll off to the side of the roadway as a large procession of military forces slowly started to pour out into four columns, marching down the roadway, vehicles trailing behind, some of them breaking up the lines in the center. Dancers twirled and flipped at the very front of the procession. Right behind them a man walked—clad in dark armor, the suit ornamented with green and bits of yellow. He had a plume of black feathers wrapped around his waist as it extended a bit below the back of his waist, a monstrous looking helmet with large, spiky teeth making up the mouthpiece, horns set horizontally off the side of the helmet, protruding backward. His long, smooth, blond hair flowing down his back.

She noticed his weapon, a long katana sort of like her mothers, but with a longer hilt and more elegant in design, and it didn't have the same dust-chambered scabbard that her mom had. He walked forward along with the parade, eyes moving from side to side as if taking in the sights. As they got closer, he looked in their direction for much longer than the other spots, long enough to make her uncomfortable. _Did he recognize us?_ She thought. She also noticed Anastasia off to his left side, trailing slightly behind, armed with what seemed to be some sort of staff set on her back.

"Yang calm down," Winter said.

"What? I _am_ calm," She replied.

"Then why are your eyes red?" Winter rebuked.

 _They were?_ She wasn't angry though. She held her head; actually, now that she thought about it, she could've sworn that she felt a twinge of _something_ when the governor stared in their direction.

He moved on, turning his attention back forward, still regularly looking from side to side as he walked with the procession, his left wrist resting over the part of the hilt near the guard of the blade.

"They'll be walking throughout Upper Mistral. Around some time later the governor should head back to the mansion alone. A number of Atlesian soldiers are disguised throughout that'll keep me updated on his location," Winter said, quietly. "When he heads back, we head to intercept him. Cinder will meet us there."

"What if he doesn't head back alone?" her mom asked.

"Well we know to expect Vest to tag along, but should any troops head back with him, we'll neutralize them first, preferably non-fatally," Winter said.

"Alright." Her mom stepped forward, no longer propping herself up against the poll. They all waited as the parade continued, dancers still twirling about, the people off to the side gazing at the marching troops, and at the governor who looked more like a beast than a man with that armor and helmet.

Thirty minutes passed. Yang's heart rate increased a little. Her anxiety to get this over with turned to excitement. Now having got a look at the man, she could definitely tell he was strong; it was something she learned throughout her journey with her team and in the recent years. She learned to tell if someone was powerful just by looking at them. No way he stood a chance, but depending on the situation, maybe she could get the others to back off and let her have a go at him.

Another thirty minutes passed as they waited around in place, waiting for things to happen, for _something_ , anything to happen. Winter put her finger to her ear and nodded to them. "Alright, the governor has detached himself from the parade just as we expected. He's headed back to the mansion now, only Vest with him," Winter said.

"Alright, let's get going," her mom said.

Yang sent a message to Cinder, giving her the signal. "Cinder should be ready then."

"Understood," Winter said.

They all rushed off amongst the crowd toward the governor's mansion, sticking to the shadows. They caught up with Ruby along the way, and stuck close to the front of the buildings, away from any open spaces. As they approached the mansion, they noticed it was absent of any guards, and was practically deserted. They split off into four directions, each hiding behind a pillar that laid off to the side of the entryway to the mansion itself. She noticed Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury had arrived and did the same thing.

A few more minutes passed. Then a few more. Finally, the governor walked up to the mansion, walking slowly—Vest still off to the side—as he nonchalantly strolled toward the entrance of the building. Winter rushed forward, cutting off his path, stopping about twenty feet away from him.

"Owain Helios!" She yelled.

The governor stopped in his tracks.

"Rebels!" Vest yelled. She snatched a scroll from out of her pocket.

Cinder walked from out of the shadows as Mercury shot the scroll from Vest's hands before she could use it. "It's _so_ good to see you again, Ana! How I've missed you!" Cinder gave her hallmark sinister grin.

Vest turned over to look at Cinder. Her expression twisted to one of pure hatred—teeth bared and clenched, brow furrowed. "You!" She yelled. She clenched her fist and took her staff. "How _dare_ you show your face to me, you spoiled, needy little brat!"

"You know these people, Vest?" The governor said, voice calm and steady, wrist still resting over the hilt.

"Only one of them. The one in red and gold. She's the Fall Maiden—though the bitch has no right to be! I told you about them, sir—the maidens!"

"Ah yes! You did. The four great and terrible fighters said to be capable of magic," He said. "How droll." He took a deep breath and sighed. "I was expecting you all to be more…imposing. Yet you look like you just came straight from home; you didn't even _dress_ for the occasion. Such garish outfits." His tone was low, as if bored.

"Not everyone is so insecure that they need fearsome armor. You must be _really_ small if you know what I mean. Overcompensating for something?" Yang said as she walked out and faced the two of them. She shot him a grin.

A quiet, yet still audible laugh came from his helmet. He looked down as if inspecting himself. "This…is my personal aesthetic. Do you like it? I've spent quite a lot of time ensuring everything went well together. The colors, the contrast, and oh the design!"

"I can tell. You have pretty hair too," Yang said as she folded her arms.

"Thank you. I've spent a lot of time making sure it's this elegant. And so do you, I see. Not my look, but still. Gorgeous locks," He said. His tone this time wasn't one of mockery or sarcasm. It was strangely sincere.

That caught her off guard. "Oh. Hey, thanks! And you know what?" She looked him up and down, putting her hands on her hips. The dark color, the green in between the gaps, and on the ornamentation, and the black feathers? Looked pretty cool if she was being honest. "I take back what I said. Not a bad look!"

Mom walked out of the shadows and over to her. She turned to look at her, crossed her arms, and then looked at the governor. "Maybe after this, you two can paint your nails and talk fashion."

"Perhaps we should," He said.

"I was joking, you idiot," Raven said.

"Oh, I know. Relax, Raven. We're all friends here."

"You know who I am?"

"Indeed I do."

"We're not friends," Winter cut in.

Yang noticed Ruby had moved beside her.

"Yes, we are." He let his left arm fall to his side and gripped his sword's hilt with his right. "Those of us who fight and die in the glory of battle are all friends." His tone shifted. It was raspy and vicious. "Friends who share the will of the warrior! Friends who grant each other the gift of the thrill and the rush of blood as they strike each other down!" He drew his sword with blinding speed, a wave of force overwhelmed them, pushing them off their feet and knocking them backward. "Friends who know not peace and who die with blood in their throats!" He said in a growl.

Yang recovered from the blast. The force of the wave was more powerful than she'd expected. A sign of a powerful aura. This guy was not going to be a pushover. She felt a rush come over her, a thrill. She almost agreed with the crazy coming from out of his mouth.

Vest looked like she was about to panic.

"Great! The governor is a lunatic," Ruby said.

"Do you mind if I take him?" Yang said.

Winter drew her weapon, standing in a ready position as she recovered from the pushback. She turned her head to Yang as if to acknowledge the request. She looked over to Owain. "You will be given one chance to lay down your weapon and surrender! For your crimes against the nation of Mistral, and for your crimes against the hard-earned peace of Remnant!"

"Surrender? No. No if you wish to put an end to my efforts, then you'll have to cut me down."

"You've been warned, and we've given you a chance," Winter said.

"I'm sticking to Ana. I'll leave the lunatic to you." Cinder rushed at Vest who jumped backward, startled at her charge, they clashed. Cinder formed a short sword in her hand and swung at Vest, clearly messing around, grin on her face.

Winter created a glyph from under him and had it explode in a white light. The pillar of light consumed him, and Yang could feel the heat, the power from it over where she was. The light dissipated, the governor was unscathed save for a few scratches on his armor. Winter charged at him as Owain lifted his blade and swung downward at her. In an instant, Winter's weapon was shattered, she was knocked back, and her aura depleted; she hit the ground as it cracked, bits of stone flying into the air.

"Winter!" Mom yelled.

Winter strained to get up. "What's with his strength?" She said, straining herself.

"It could be his semblance," Yang said.

"Exactly right," Owain said.

Explosions went off in the distance as screams erupted much closer to them. Seemed like the Branwen Tribe were on the move. She noticed Oscar walking up from behind. Owain turned around to face him.

"Governor Owain Helios, I take it?" Oscar said smiling, cane held out to the side.

"And who are you?" He said, blade extended off to his side.

"Name's Oscar. Oscar Pine. You've been causing trouble lately, and I'd like you to stop. Surrender!"

"And why would I do that? You seem a bit knowledgeable in warfare. Tell me. Why should one side surrender when the other has not demonstrated any military advantage over them?"

Oscar's brow furrowed. "You are surrounded by extremely powerful fighters. This won't end well for you."

"There's no point! He _wants_ a fight!" Mom yelled.

Owain appeared in front of Oscar as he swung down at him. He sidestepped from it, though the force of the swing sent out a shockwave. "If you wish to stop me, then do so. Deplete my aura, crush my skull, and leave my broken body on the steps for all to see!" He said in another vicious growl.

"Your aura," Oscar said.

"What about it, little man?" He raised his blade once more.

"It. It feels familiar. Why does it feel familiar?"

"Oh?" He lowered his blade.

She prepped herself for a charge, taking a step forward, ready to blast herself at him as her mother flew forward with her blade in hand. She swung at him, but he turned around and swung back. Her blade shattered, a shockwave ripped outward. She reeled back and charged again with a blade of wind dust and swung again. He shattered the blade again.

Yang ran over to his left and charged at him; she blazed a punch at his head. He held out a hand and stopped her punch mid-air, his other hand occupied with his blade blocking another blow from her mother. From behind, Oscar charged at him himself, but before he could get off a series of hits, a red energy—a red aura—roared from out of his body and tore through the air. Their aura flickered. She looked over to where Cinder and Vest were as Cinder was engulfed in the blast, although Vest managed to escape. Em and Mercury had moved over to Cinder and also got hit, their aura depleted.

Ruby had used her semblance to dodge the shockwave and flew forward at him, having transformed Full Rose into its Steel Stem form, swinging its hammer at his chest. He stopped it with his blade and deflected it to the side. "A fast one, are we?" He stepped forward and swung down. It collided with Full Rose as a loud crack ringed in her ears, sparks flew outward. Ruby leaped backward, clearly concerned.

"S-stop!" Oscar said. "I…I know this aura!"

Yang heard heavy breathing, panting. It was Oscar. He seemed exhausted. No, was that even exhaustion? At a second glance it seemed to be something else. Was he panicking?

"H-how? W-why? Why _now_?! Why not before, why now?" He yelled.

They all looked at him, Owain turning to address him; he turned his head and looked at Yang and then back at Oscar. "I'm surprised. I didn't think anyone knew. It seemed to have been so long here, I've begun to think that perhaps it was different," He said quietly, as if speaking to himself. "Little man! You know what I am?"

"Y-yes," Oscar said, still panting. "That's why I'm asking! Why _now_? Where were you all this time? No, how did it even happen? It's been so long and now you have it too when no one's had it since as long as I can remember! Why would you wait so lon—Salem! Do you know Sale—Did she _bribe_ you?" His breathing became more erratic. He seemed angry, fed up.

"Salem? I have no idea who that is."

Mom charged at his back—maiden powers active—and unleashed a flurry of elemental attacks, first lightning, then ice, and then fire. Owain took each hit and with a swing of his sword, shattered her weapon again, depleted her aura, and cut straight down her torso. She fell to her knees, she forced herself up and jumped backward.

"Mom!"

"Relax, the wound is shallow," Owain said.

"Oh, that's it!" She shot toward him with her gauntlets and slugged him in the face.

"Yang, wait!" Oscar yelled.

Owain took the hit. "Your blows are a little on the weak side. That's quite unexpected. But your eyes…Your eyes are magnificent. Such a gorgeous shade of red."

"Yang, move aside!" Cinder said. Yang looked over to her, Vest on the ground, clearly still alive but unconscious. She was being held captive by Emerald and Mercury. Cinder unleashed an enormous wave of fire at Owain.

Yang leaped away as it engulfed him. On the other end—toward Cinder—Owain erupted from the flames and swung downward. The blow cut right down her center, aura depleted. Blood spattered on the ground.

"Cinder!" Emerald yelled.

He kicked her in the stomach as she flew into the wall, debris and dust clouds flowing from the impact.

Jaune, Ren, and Nora jumped onto the scene. "Jaune!" Ren yelled.

"On it!" He ran over to where Cinder landed.

Her vision blurred, then returned to normal. Her heart rate skyrocketed, and her whole body swelled with heat. She clenched her teeth and her fists. It felt like her blood was boiling, like her vision had just turned red. Her whole body shook.

"I was under the impression that the three of you were "unimaginably powerful" as someone put it." He looked over at Vest. "Yet here you all are, still capable of bleeding like any other." He looked over at Mom. "I'm disappointed in you." He took a deep breath and sighed. He turned his head and looked toward the sky. "Well, I suppose power is relative. To the others, you all are the strongest. To me, well. Perception is perception, I guess." He turned over to face the explosions and fire in the distance, black smoke rising to the sky. "I was informed of the possibility of an attack from the White Fang. Perhaps _they_ could provide me with some proper sport."

A haze washed over her. There were no thoughts, no worries. Her mind emptied, and her senses both dulled and enhanced. No, _she_ dulled. A rage washed over her. She charged at him and threw a punch. Just a simple punch. He blocked it with his hand but as it impacted a shockwave erupted from the two of them. She threw another punch, but he blocked it again with yet another shockwave erupting. He took a swing down at her. She blocked it with her gauntlet.

"Yes. Yes, that's a look I love to see. Let the rage out!" He said. He raised his sword again and brought it down hard on her. She blocked it again. He took another swing—one faster than she could react to—it made direct contact with her. A flash of light erupted as she found herself on her knees a few feet backward.

She looked up at the governor, into the pitch-black eye sockets of the monstrous helmet. They were completely shrouded in shadows.

"Yang!" It was Qrow. When did he get here? The haze dissipated. She stood up and checked herself for wounds. Her aura was still engaged somehow. Her body suddenly flowed with exhaustion. She trembled, but not the fear sort of trembling. Her head became clear again. What just happened? Pain in her arm flared as she grabbed it tightly.

There was a silence in the air. No one spoke. She looked over at her mother who was fine but clearly startled. She looked over to Jaune, Emerald, and Mercury who had taken Cinder out as Jaune started healing her with his semblance. Ruby was off to the side, in a guarded position, worried about Full Rose.

"It's not just an omen anymore, is it?" Owain said.

She turned to look at him. "What?"

"Your eyes are red. They changed color." He said.

"What about them?" She yelled.

He sheathed his katana. "Vest! We're leaving!"

She just noticed but apparently Vest had regained consciousness and escaped from Emerald and Mercury's grasp. "Yes, sir!" She rushed over to his side as he turned around and walked toward Upper Mistral. She turned around to face where Cinder was and gave a condescending grin. "When the wretch wakes up, tell her she had it coming." She turned back around and continued skipping alongside the governor.

Emerald growled and tried to rush forward.

"Emerald wait!" Mercury said.

"Oh no you don't!" Yang yelled.

"Yang, stop!" Oscar said.

"He's going after the White Fang, we have to stop him!" She said.

"We can't. We have to recover. They'll be fine. I already sent Blake a message to fall back. Our plan failed. We need to retreat as soon as possible." He said.

"Yang. I hate to say it, but I agree. We need to fall back," her mom said.

"Alexis could arrive at any moment, or someone else with the tech to take maiden powers, especially now that we're this weakened," Winter said.

Explosions erupted again, and now they were accompanied by gunshots and missile fire. Airships of Atlesian designed, marked with the crest of the New Dawn flew over in the direction of the fire.

Winter looked at her scroll. "This is bad. My forces were ousted. Most of them were wiped out."

"The Branwen Tribe too," Oscar said, scroll in hand. "Azure sent me a message. They've retreated too. The conflict quickly escalated to an all-out battle. Apparently, they were more well-equipped than I thought."

Yang's scroll suddenly vibrated. She snatched it from her pocket and noticed Blake was calling. "Blake!"

She could hear explosions and gunshots in the background on Blake's side. "Yang, are you alright? What happened? The New Dawn somehow knew who we were, despite our disguises. We can't stay here. Where are you guys?"

She clenched her fist. "We're fine. The governor was a lot more powerful than we thought. We failed. Just get to safety. We'll meet up later."

"Alright, be safe," Blake said, hanging up.

"So, what now?" Ren said, having walked over to them.

"We head back to the hotel. At different times and not all together at once. We need to stay low for a while and get a handle on the situation. Things…have changed. They have drastically changed," Oscar said, having calmed down.

"What do you mean "they have drastically changed?"" Mom snapped.

"I'll…tell you back at the hotel," He said.

* * *

Yang sat there, hands together, looking down at the ground. The atmosphere was melancholy as they all listened to the news broadcast. A few hours had passed since their failed assault.

"The attack on Upper Mistral by the Branwen Tribe had been stopped. Most of the bandits have been routed, many of them suffering many casualties. Authorities suggest that the governor had been attacked during the ensuing chaos. A Spokesperson from the New Dawn is here to give a press release on the incident. Are we ready to see that?" There was a pause as the broadcast switched over to an empty podium.

They all watched as a man in an Atlesian-styled uniform with gray hair walked up to the podium.

"Alexis," Winter said.

"The attack that just occurred was not random. It was a ploy from a rebel group intent on assassinating our new governor. Our governor has given me his thoughts on the situation and wishes for me not to condemn the assault. He understands the peoples' frustration with the current political climate and yearns for unity."

A journalist spoke up. "What about the White Fang? And the huntsmen and huntresses present? Were they apart of this rebel group?"

"No, the White Fang were there under security detail and so were the huntsmen and huntresses. They are not to be blamed. Understand that these rebels will use anyone and anything to push their agenda, to paint our dear governor as a madman and a lunatic. We must not fall for such propaganda. I understand the White Fang takes issue with the new regime, but I am confident—with the wisdom of their dear leader—that they will see through such propaganda and join us in curtailing this rebellion."

"What about Atlas? You're Atlesian, aren't you?" Another journalist asked.

"I am. But there is a reason why I am no longer a part of the Atlesian military. Anyone who is curious about my allegiances can look at my official records to know that I am currently an official citizen of Mistral and I look forward to working with the Mistral Military on protecting this great nation from _all_ threats, both foreign and domestic. That is all." He walked off the podium, ignoring the flood of questions hurled his way.

"Well, this just got so much worse," Qrow said.

"Yeah," Oscar said.

Cinder, who had recovered, stood up and stormed over to Oscar and lifted him up by his collar. "Talk! Now! You know something about this, don't you? About the governor, about how powerful he is! Talk!"

"Cinder, calm down!" Qrow said.

"No, she's right," Oscar said.

She put him down.

"I'll tell you everything. An old memory of his popped up in my head. I…don't think even Oz remembered. I think he'd given up hope on it a long time ago and…simply let the passage of time wither away his memory. Yet, here it is…"


	6. Yang's Arc Chapter 4

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 4 – Old Memories**

* * *

"Wonderful," Cinder said, sarcastically. She walked across the wooden floor to the mahogany bed placed near the middle of the wall and sat down at the edge of it. She folded her arms. "Start talking then."

Qrow got comfortable leaning against the edge of the nightstand placed next to the other bed across from where Cinder sat. "What's this about? Didn't think you still had any memories of the guy left in you. Thought you would've knew them all by now."

Sitting on the brown chair next to the windows at the far edge of the hotel room, he gazed outside, cane held vertically with his right hand over the handle. "This particular story was one that was rather dear to him. It was a personal one. Our struggles with Salem, _his_ struggles with Salem didn't involve them, however much he wished that wasn't the case, and I think he was ashamed to admit how long it took him to accept that. No doubt Salem would have mocked him for that."

" _Them_?" Jaune asked sitting on the edge of the bed next to Qrow.

"There was a reason why he always chose four. Four was the magic number. He believed, he _hoped_ they would come back someday. It's why he split his power into four young women, hoping that the pieces of his power might become…something more. This story goes way back. Even before his time, and Salem's. You see, before things changed, before he met Salem, before even _he_ became a legendary hero, he had heroes of his own."

Yang turned to him from the left corner by the door where she sat on a chair detached from every other part of the room. "Heroes? What kind of heroes?" She noticed her mother in the corner of her eye turn to look at her. No doubt she would have something to say after this, given her tone of voice. She had hoped to disguise the low, lazy tone, but she let it slip.

"Warriors, specifically. Peerless warriors who embodied the values the gods had expected from humanity. You could say they were the spiritual founders of the four kingdoms, as each one of them eventually settled in each of their respective lands. Although, it's more of a _spiritual_ thing as the teachings of these warriors would be passed down from generation to generation; apparently surviving through the cataclysm that beset the prior world. They were everything the gods wished of humanity."

Mom turned to face Oscar. "I'm assuming Ozpin met these warriors." She had crossed her arms and leaned against the wall directly on the other side of her by the door.

Oscar turned away from the window to face them, looking to address Mom. "He did. Though he was only a child when he first heard of them."

"How powerful were these warriors? How did they embody the values?" Ruby asked. Yang looked over behind where Ruby sat to find Full Rose placed on the other mahogany table, tools laid out.

"Each one of them was unusually wise, disciplined, and powerful. Each of the maidens inherited a portion of their power, a blessing you could say. Although that would be thanks to Ozpin and his hopes that the maidens would eventually become them. It's why only they could open the doors to the vaults to their respective relics," Oscar said.

Cinder's eyes narrowed. Her arms propped her up from the sides as she leaned back a bit. "What do you mean we inherited a portion of their power?"

"It's…both literal and not. It's not _their_ power, but more an alteration, a gift from them to him which he put into each of the pieces of power given to each of the original maidens. It's why their magic was so much more powerful than the magic found in the average person back then. This gift, this blessing would pass from maiden to maiden."

"Alright, so who were these warriors and why does it matter?" Mom asked.

"Like I said, there were four of them. The Huntsman as he came to be known, was a wanderer who walked across Anima that knew much about the world. However, in particular he had a fondness for scholarship. Most of his wandering was actually a way for him to study. He would eventually attract followers as they came seeking his wisdom. He taught them many things. How to fight, how to defend themselves, justice, mercy. He taught them other things as well. The gods, history, how to live off the land, how to build. His teachings impacted even Ozpin as he apparently used what he learned to form the basis of the huntsmen academies."

"The King, another of the four who lived in the north was an inventor and artist. He was extremely creative, and even had strange powers which allowed him to create. His magic was unique in that respect. He would attract attention from people of all walks of life who would come to him to see what he created, and many stayed to see what he would create next. And like the huntsman, many of them came seeking his wisdom; they would plead to him, "teach me to create". And he obliged, to all those who were willing. A kind-hearted and generous man, he taught early humanity not just how to create, but how to govern as well, how to keep the peace, how to form laws."

"Then, there was the Warrior—who lived near Sanus, where Vale stands now. She was an unmatched warrior said to have been the only one capable of meeting with the God of Darkness without risk. She had a deep understanding of the nature of good, evil, light, and dark. She struggled with each many times. Those who saw her might wished for the power to protect their loved ones, to survive. She taught those who were willing and able the nature of light and darkness, the consequences of each, and how to choose. She taught them the nature of warfare and how to defend their lands."

"And finally, the Berserker. A fearsome woman of unparalleled strength—even by their standards—who was also a wanderer like the huntsman, however she often found joy near where Vacuo stands now, though it was lusher at the time. She was constantly seeking new challenges, new things to overcome, new ways to break her shell. Everyone insisted they could beat her, could one day overcome her. She became something for other people to seek, to become. She taught those who challenged her how to be courageous, how to be strong, how to fight, and how to destroy those who would do them harm. She taught them the value of change, the value of hardship and how pain and suffering made one strong, truly strong. She taught them that destruction wasn't inherently evil, but merely a means to an end."

"Even to him, they were only legends. Until he met them of course. It was then he found out that not only were they real, but that they actually knew each other. He wondered if they had been friends once, companions. He wondered a lot about them so like many others, he learned from them."

"What happened to them?" Ren asked. "Over time, I mean."

"They vanished. One day, they wandered and then just…disappeared. Most likely they died of old age, though I can only guess. Following their disappearance, humans began to fight in wars, each claiming to be the descendent of one of the four. With what they had been taught, the people of the world turned that knowledge upon themselves."

"Umm, but what does that have to do with the governor?" Nora asked.

"One of them. The Berserker. I'm…familiar with her aura, very familiar. I felt it not too long ago when we went up against Owain. I don't know how, or why it happened, but I'm certain that whatever power she wielded, is now in him."

There was a long pause. She decided to break the silence. She didn't feel like it. She honestly felt like this whole thing was her fault. They knew about her, they had to. Vest recognized her, and they must have used that knowledge to prepare for them. They knew about the maidens too and their identities as well, which they could tie back to her. It was clearly her fault. But it didn't matter. She had to keep going; she had to fix her mistakes. "So, how do we stop him? What do we do?"

"We can't let him get to the Gift of Destruction. It doesn't matter if we can beat him in combat, we probably won't get another shot at him any time soon, so we'll have to stay low for a while, act secretively, and find a way to retrieve the relic before he does," Oscar said.

"Can we beat him?" Qrow asked.

"If he really is the Berserker…then no."

Everyone's expressions changed. There was melancholy in the air now and not just uncertainty. "That's crap," She said.

"Yang?" Ruby said.

Oscar looked at her, one brow raised and the other squinted.

"Where have we heard that line before? This is simply something else we need to overcome. If we're weak, then we get stronger." She stood up. "If he really is the Berserker, then we just find his weakness and use that knowledge to take him down!"

"Yang, I appreciate your courage and strength, but this isn't like Salem. She was immortal, sure, but there was a reason why she was so manipulative despite her power and immortality. Take it from me, the Berserker is the last one of the four we'd want to fight," Oscar said.

She glared at him "So that's what you are now? A coward? After everything we've been through together?"

"Yang—" Qrow tried to cut in.

"We can do this with or without you. I think you should stop moping and pull your weight," She said as she crossed her arms, staring down at him from the distance.

"I—" Oscar seemed unsure of himself.

Why was he so scared? After everything he'd seen and experienced. After everything they've accomplished? It didn't matter how strong Owain was. He _could_ be beaten. There was always a way!

Oscar sighed. "You're right. Whether we win or lose doesn't matter. We have to try regardless." He laughed. "It's funny. Now that I think about it…she used to tell him the same thing."

"Who?" She asked.

Oscar looked up at her and smiled. "The Berserker." He stood up. "Somewhere along the line he'd forgotten her words, her lessons. And so did I. Thank you."

"So, what do we do? Those were nice words, Yang, but we can't do this without a plan," Cinder said. "What about what you said about the maidens?" She turned to face Oscar. "Is there a possibility that we could become stronger?"

"I don't know. The maiden powers have already become more, though I think that has more to do with the power passing from person to person. Each maiden being their own person had made it their own," Oscar said.

"What about the others? If the Berserker really has returned somehow, then what about the other three? Couldn't we find them?" Jaune asked.

"You're right, that is a definite possibility, though I think we should be cautious in that respect. We need to confirm that Owain is in fact, the Berserker, and if he is, if he knows the others. We don't want to approach the other three assuming they have returned as well, only to find them aligned with him," Oscar said.

Jaune looked down, brow furrowed.

"I think that for the time being, we avoid Owain," Oscar said as Yang jerked at the suggestion. " _For now_ ," He replied, looking at Yang. "If we really do intend to fight him, we first need to remove the army at his back."

"Unfortunately, that will be close to impossible," Winter said, who had just walked in. "I contacted Ironwood and although Alexis neglected to mention Atlas' involvement in the attack, our forces were nearly wiped out by the New Dawn. The situation is still unstable, and tensions are still high. Ironwood is hesitant to provide more forces."

"What? Why?" Qrow said.

"You heard him yourself, Winter," Mom said. "He plans to invade Vacuo."

"I know. He's not my primary concern right now though, however unexpectedly powerful he was. It's Alexis I'm worried about. He's playing politics and it's working. The new regime's approval ratings are already skyrocketing. People were unsure about them, scared, but now we've given them an enormous gift. They've taken our attack and turned it into a political opportunity."

Winter started pacing back and forth, hands clasped behind her back. "To the people who were scared of the governor's penchant for violence, and what seemed to be an Atlesian coup, are now starting to believe that the new regime has Mistral's best interests in mind." She started to pace. "Compare this regime—which in their eyes, managed to stop an attack on their city—with the old council who let the attack on Haven happen thanks to one of their members being compromised, and let a terrorist group operate freely within its borders, among many other failures."

"So, what do we do?" Jaune asked.

"We'll need to fight back the same way." Winter turned and looked at both her and Ruby. "And we'll need team RWBY for that. I don't know if Alexis or the New Dawn knows of your involvement, but the fact that he neglected to mention you during his news conference has given us something we can use. You four are famous now. People aren't likely to doubt your intentions, so we'll use that to our advantage."

"You want us to play politics? That's…not really my thing," Yang said.

"Yeah, same here!" Ruby said.

"Not politics. I want you to do your job. As huntresses. Wherever you go you need to ensure that you are doing the right thing. If for example, the New Dawn attacked a particular place, you focus on protecting the innocent instead of engaging them. We need you to play the heroes again. Right until we can expose the New Dawn for what it is," Winter said.

"And how will we do that? Expose them I mean," Yang said.

"You leave that to us," Winter looked over to Cinder.

Cinder simply let out a sinister smile. "Glad to know my skill set can still be of use."

"Great," Jaune said, sarcastically. "What about us?"

"Fortunately, you three are not as well known," Winter said.

"Ouch," Nora said.

"What she means is you have more freedom with what you can help with," Qrow cut in. "Up for some reconnaissance?"

"Sure, why not," Nora said.

Oscar stood up. "Alright, I propose we split up into teams. Jaune, Ren, and Nora, you're fine the way you are, although if Cinder and Emerald are alright with it I would like for Emerald to join you three. Her semblance will be invaluable for your mission."

"It's fine," Cinder said.

"So, what are we doing?" Emerald asked.

"You'll be searching for any holdings, bases, fortifications—anything belonging to the New Dawn. We need to know how far they're spread out over Mistral. They have some bases outside of the city itself, so feel free to wander a bit."

"Got it," Jaune said.

"Qrow, Raven," Oscar said.

"Back on spy duty, then?" Mom said.

"Yes. The governor doesn't seem to be aware that you can turn into birds. We'll use that to our advantage. I need one of you to travel close to Jaune and the others so as to have greater range, and the other to spy on Alexis," He said.

"Understood," Mom said.

"Yang, Cinder, Mercury, and Ruby—the four of you will travel together and…well. You'll be keeping close watch on the governor," He said.

"What?" Mom said, surprised. "Didn't you just say to avoid him?"

"I did, and I still mean that. You four are to avoid fighting him. Don't engage him, simply follow him, keep track of him," Oscar said.

"Oh, don't you worry. We'll keep our distance," Mercury said.

"Yang and Ruby's reputation should be able to get you into any VIP events and if not, acquire the necessary authority to do so. Of course, since Vest is likely to travel with Owain, you'll be able to keep tabs on her as well," He looked at Cinder as he mentioned that last part.

"Works for me," Cinder said.

"Ruby, how's Full Rose doing?" Oscar asked.

"All fixed up! It took some heavy damage from Owain's attack, but thankfully nothing _too_ bad," She said.

"And Yang," He said.

"I know, I know. I won't do anything reckless," She said. Not right away anyway. No way she was going to let an opportunity slip by. If they found a weakness, she was going to take it. Get some pay back!

"As for me, I'll be reporting back to Atlas for the moment. I'll keep in touch," Winter said. "As for team RWBY's reputation, don't be surprised if you see my sister at any high-profile event involving the governor. I know my sister and so do you. After what happened, she's not going to sit tight, despite being the President of the SDC."

"Yay! We get to see Weiss again!" Ruby said.

Winter smiled. "It's not certain, though."

"Right," Ruby said, face turning slightly red.

"What about your thing, Ruby? Will we have to worry about that?" Cinder asked, turning over to face her.

"That…yeah, it's fine. She's angry, but we won't have to worry about her," Ruby said. "By the way Oscar, did you find anything out about the dragon thing and the guy…dude?"

Oscar raised an eyebrow. It clearly took him a second to remember what she was talking about. "Oh! Right!" He coughed. "Unfortunately, no."

"Oh. Well that's alright," Ruby said.

Oscar stood up and looked at Yang. "Could you contact Blake? I would like for her to be kept up to date. Tell her everything we spoke about."

"Alexis is definitely up to something from what he said in his speech, regarding the White Fang. It's definitely a good idea," Winter said.

"Got it," Yang said.

Everyone got up from their places and started funneling out of the room. Yang stood there as Ruby, Cinder, and Mercury stayed behind along with her. "Gonna give Blake a quick call," She said. She pulled out her scroll and dialed her number. A few seconds passed before she picked up.

"Yang?"

"Blake! Hey, how's everything going on your end?"

"Better than I expected, to be honest. Did you see Alexis' speech?"

"Yeah, he didn't throw the White Fang under the bus," she said.

"Yeah, which has actually helped us out. I don't know why, but I'll take what I can get. What about you? Everything alright over there?"

"Well…things got complicated. It's a long story. Oscar explained a few things from Ozpin's old memories."

"What was it about?"

"Apparently, the governor has an ancient power that once belonged to the original embodiment of Destruction."

"Wait, embodiment? What power?" She said, caught off guard.

"There were once super powerful warriors back in the old world who embodied each of the four values humanity was founded upon. The Warrior for Choice, the King for Creation, the Huntsman for Knowledge, and the Berserker for Destruction."

"And he's certain of this?"

"Seems so."

Blake sighed. "It's just one thing after another."

Her eyes widened. She just realized something. It's a possibility, and there's no way to be certain, but it was definitely another line she could use. "Hey Blake. About Nero, when next you meet him, accuse him of being the Huntsman." The others looked at her, both surprised and seemingly understanding.

"What? Why?"

"Nero knows a lot about you guys right? He somehow knew about Qrow's power, he's somehow always prepared, he had strange abilities. These all seem to be things like what Oscar described when he told us about the Huntsman. Since he thinks Owain is the Berserker it's possible the Huntsman has also reappeared and is for some reason after you. Just saying, Knowledge was the Huntsman's thing."

"Alright, I'll give it a try. Anything to help with that. None my underlings have found any leads on Nero," Blake said.

A voice which sounded like Sun came from the background. "Did you just call us underlings?" He said.

" _Yes_ , Sun, I did. You told me I should try humor to help myself relax, right?" Blake said.

"Yeah, but…Alright, I can dig it!"

"Anyways," Blake said. "I have to get going. Another meeting. Keep me posted, alright?"

"Got it. Take care Blake," She said.

"Will do." The both of them hung up.

"Well…Let's get going, then, shall we?" Yang said.

"Hooray for a new team! We're going to be best pals!" Mercury put his arms around both Ruby and Cinder as both of them gave him a look. "Taking down the bad guys, saving the world! It'll be great!"

Yang smiled. This was certainly new and would certainly be interesting. "Well, let's go then!" She opened the door and rushed out. The four of them walked outside to the front of the hotel. Yang stopped in her tracks, turned around and faced the group. "So, uhh…Where do we go first? I have no idea where to even begin."

"To be honest, I think we should hone our skills," Cinder said, flicking her long, black hair back.

Yang crossed her arms. "You're interested in what Oscar said about the maidens, aren't you?"

Cinder smiled. "You know me so well. Is that a problem?"

Yang looked to the side. "No, no. Not at all."

"Good. Besides, we need it. If what Oscar said is true, then we can't fight the governor unprepared. And I don't think conventional means will make much of a difference," Cinder said.

She assumed this was about her stepsister. Maybe a little bit about pride too. Cinder the almighty got easily taken down by a stranger, and now she finds out there are things out there more powerful than what they're familiar with. Made sense, and to be honest, she really didn't have a problem. So long as Cinder didn't stab them in the back, she could do whatever she wanted.

"I'm up for some sparring," Mercury said.

"Where would we even find a spot where we won't be bothered? I mean, you're a maiden, and it's not like we won't wreck whatever place we go to," Ruby said. She had Full Rose placed on her back safe and sound.

"I know a place. A place where I would train, when I first learned to fight. It's in Lower Mistral. And if anyone _does_ bother us…well. Assuming they don't know who the two of you are," Cinder said, looking at both her and Ruby. "Then we'll deal with them appropriately." She gave that trademark cocky smile of hers.

""Deal with them?"" Yang said, air-quoting.

"Yes, _deal with them_ ," Cinder said, as she leaned to the side and placed her right fist on her red-dressed hip. Similar design she usually wore, except this time it had a lot more black on it. She even wore armor-ish looking thigh-high boots this time, though she couldn't tell what it was made of. _Still_ had heels on them though.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Alright, if you say so. So, where's this place of yours?"

"Come on." Cinder walked ahead of them. "I'll show you."

They followed her down to Lower Mistral. They took a cab there and when they arrived, they got off at a run-down part of the town where most buildings seemed to be made of low-quality wood. There were splinters all over them. Dark grey washed out wood was the norm here. She looked up and noticed the storm. It still hasn't lightened up.

A crackle of thunder exploded in the air, and then another one as the three of them continued to follow Cinder down the streets. This seemed to be much farther away than where the White Fang base was. People on the side of the road all wore ragged clothing—browns, greys, beiges—many of them had holes in their pants which seemed to be made of some sort of leather. An old man coughed, and down the street, three thuggish looking guys were pushing each other while no one around them paid them any mind. "This place is depressing," She said.

"Tell me about it," Mercury concurred. "Did you live here?" He looked forward at Cinder.

"Yes. Long time ago," Cinder said.

"That's…sad," Ruby said.

She could tell that Cinder had just rolled her eyes with the way she moved her head. "I don't need your pity, Ruby. What's in the past is in the past."

There was a pause. "Then what about Anastasia?" Ruby asked.

There was another pause. "She's the only exception to that," Cinder said. Her voice shifted to a lower, more raspy tone as she spoke. She turned her head to the right. There, in the distance was a large, yet dilapidated building that lay atop a large hill. It looked like a mansion. Well, a small mansion. At least for a building found here. There didn't seem to be anyone living there anymore. Cinder stood there looking at it for a moment before continuing on.

She didn't want to pry, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious. What happened between them?

They continued on their way. Each block they passed seem to be more run-down than the previous one; each with more buildings yet many of them in increasing states of disrepair. As they reached yet another block, the buildings they saw were stacked on top of one another. They looked like a tower of matches or toothpicks people sometimes made when they were bored, except these were houses. Laundry lines were strewn throughout above them, stemming from each of the buildings like a network of spider webs, but with old clothes laced on all of them. The place could only be described as claustrophobic, with how close together all of the buildings were. The stench wasn't exactly pleasant either. There was an air of running sewage about the place.

The light of the sun was hard to see because of the blackened clouds, but she could tell it was getting close to morning. They hadn't had time to sleep yet, nor would they she assumed. It's not like she'd be able to sleep soundly anyway what with what happened the night before. She needed to make _some_ progress. She clenched her fist. She was upset about what happened, there was no denying that, but that was because she felt like it had been her fault that the whole plan ended up in smoke. But at the same time, she felt _excitement_. No more boredom, no more killing mindless grimm who stopped being a threat anymore, no more just hanging around, doing nothing in her apartment all day.

 _Owain…_ She thought. _I'll take you down, just watch. It'll be just you and me._ She didn't care if he was the Berserker or whatever. No way she wasn't going to return the favor and give him a good beat down!

"We're here," Cinder said, interrupting Yang's train of thought.

They arrived at an abandoned building which seemed to have a lot of space in it. "This is where we're going to train?" Yang asked.

"Not here. Come on. There's a secret passage underground. It should be abandoned. It'll lead us to a good spot," Cinder said.

"Think we'll find some squatters?" Mercury asked.

"Probably. We'll kick them out if there are," Cinder said.

"That's kinda mean," Ruby said.

"They're not supposed to be here anyway. Besides, they'll return once we leave," Cinder said.

That didn't seem to satisfy Ruby. She looked back the way they came, her eyes sullen. Her eyes suddenly became distant, as if she was not all there. After a few moments, she looked back forward and continued her walk.

Once inside, Cinder walked over to a panel on the floor and lifted it up, revealing a staircase leading downward. She walked down it and one after the other the three of them followed. Down the staircase was a dark, damp tunnel that surprisingly, had some dust strewn on the walls. Cinder lit up some fire with her powers as they followed her down the dark corridor.

They walked and walked for around ten minutes before they reached an incline that lead to a door that was placed between some rubble that covered the area. She opened it and through the door, some light finally shined in the distance as the path continued to move upward as they eventually walked out into an outdoors area. They had been in a cave. They were in an area that was isolated. Behind them was the cave and all around them were buildings in the far distance—Upper Mistral in the direction of the north which permeated the entire view. There was a large lake between them and the upper city.

"I used to come here and learn to defend myself with other low lives who were tired of being pushed around. Here, no one would bother us," Cinder said. "Not even her…" She walked around, seemingly reminiscent of the area. They all stood there silent, waiting for her.

It was a wide-open space with the rocks of the cave extending outward in a U-shape around the ground; the U-shaped stone and cave entrance reached upward almost three times their height. The ground beneath them was a grayish-brown stone-like material, and out by the lake, at the edge of the platform they were on was wooden fencing blocking access to the lake that was of the same low-quality wood that the houses were made up of. Yang walked around a little, just getting a feel for the place. She crossed her arms and leaned to the side a little. "Will anyone notice us here? From across the lake, I mean?"

"No," Cinder said. "We're far enough away that anyone looking this way will need binoculars. Maybe during the night, they might see a light off in the distance if I'm using my powers, but it shouldn't cause a problem."

"Alright then, who's up first?" Yang asked.

"Mercury and Ruby. I want to see you two fight. First to break the others' aura wins," Cinder said as she turned around to face them.

Mercury cracked his neck and knuckles. "Alrighty then! Let's do this!" He walked out into the center of the platform but more to the right nearer to one of the rocky sides. "Go easy on me Rube," He said with a smirk.

"Suuuure, that's a good idea," Ruby said sarcastically as she walked to the opposite side of Mercury.

"Oh, come on! You're a legendary huntress, remember? And you got silver eyes and stuff!"

"Excuses, excuses," She said.

Cinder had walked over to where Yang was near the cave entrance and stopped beside her, turning around to face the two in the center. "Any time now you two."

Mercury charged at her and let out a flurry of kicks with each leg laced with fire dust—his legs surrounded in flame. She dodged easily. He continued his assault before slamming his foot on the ground, debris exploding away in every direction with a cloud of smoke everywhere. She leaped away as a barrage of fire blasts came at her all from one direction.

Ruby shifted Full Rose into its Grimm Reaper form, swirling into a whirlwind of rose petals toward the fire blasts, putting them out and quickly changing form to Rose Thorn using her momentum to streak across to Mercury as a giant red bullet. He took a sidestep, aura almost grazed as he let out another series of kicks toward her back side. She struck back with her own flurry of thrusts as he parried many of the thrusts with his feet. As the exchange raged on, neither of them managed to get any hits on each other. Mercury jumped back again, seemingly going in for another set of dust blasts as Ruby followed him. The instant she did, he stopped himself with his right foot and launched a kick directly at Ruby's stomach, managing to land a hit, causing her to fly backward.

She landed on her feet and smirked. Mercury got in his fighting stance again, not smiling. He was serious, guarded, cautious. He knew he was at a huge disadvantage. Ruby swirled forward at him and right before he landed another kick, she swirled upward and struck from right above him with Steel Stem. He jumped backward in time as the impact of the hammer crashed into the ground, erupting in a huge crater. Mercury landed and started kicking the debris directly at Ruby. He ignited each one with fire dust, turning them into a volley of fireballs.

She released the Grimm Reaper again and swirled in circles, disintegrating each fireball as a red twister of rose petals.

"Damn," Mercury said. He launched himself forward at Ruby as soon as the whirlwind ended, with a flying kick aimed directly at her head. She blocked it with the haft of her weapon. He pushed himself backward off of it with shots from both his legs dealing a bit of damage to her aura. He dropped down to the floor and broke into his break dance, unleashing a torrent of blasts, in his own whirlwind. The blasts were a mix of wind and fire dust. They all circled around Ruby and slammed down at her, explosive blasts empowered by the wind from some of the dust.

Ruby flew upward from the explosion; her aura crackled a bit. She launched herself downward at him with Rose Petals and unleashed a flurry of rapid swings at him. As he tried to make room between the two of them, she stuck on him with her semblance. He was getting hit, one after the other. His aura flickered, and then with a strike on his belly from the pommel of her weapon, his aura broke. He slid backward on his feet.

"Well," he said, panting. "You got me."

"That wasn't half bad, Merc!" Ruby said, smiling. "Almost got me there."

"Yeah well, wasn't expecting to," He said as he shrugged.

"You can't go into a fight expecting to lose, Mercury. Didn't I teach you that winning is more than about power?" Cinder said.

"You did, but this wasn't really about power, though," He retorted.

"True, but the principle remains the same," She said.

"She's right, you know. I was kinda not being careful. You could have taken advantage of that," Ruby said.

"I get that. Suppose I forgot about that." He said. "Next match, I'll win, deal?"

"Oh, you wish!" Ruby said.

"Alright, so it's me and you then?" Yang asked Cinder.

She grinned. "Yeah. Don't hold back."

"Right back at cha!" She said as she walked toward the crater in the center. It was a dent in the ground. She extended Ember Alto Celica out and pumped herself up. She looked to her left and watched as Cinder nonchalantly walked toward the other side of the crater, activating her maiden powers; she grinned that characteristic grin of hers. _This is gonna be good_ , she thought. Last time she fought a maiden was at the tournament with her mother. She was more experienced than Cinder was, so it probably wouldn't be the same, but still. She was cunning and still underhanded. _Don't get cocky, Yang_. She got into her fighting stance.

Cinder's smile widened as she created a long blade in her right hand and flew toward her, swinging for her head. She ducked and punched Cinder in the jaw up into the air. Yang leaped into the air and threw a series of punches at her, two of them connecting as Cinder used her powers to propel herself away from Yang. She kept up the assault with a propelling blast from her gauntlets as Cinder released a giant cone of flame from her left hand. Yang took the hit and forced herself through the storm of fire. She could feel the heat dissipating her aura slowly. She burst through the other side—aura crackling—as threw a punch at Cinder. She sidestepped the punch as it crashed into the rocky wall behind her. Debris flew everywhere. She launched herself to the right with a blast from her gauntlet and managed to dodge a few blasts of fire.

Yang spun around and charged at Cinder again who had charged as well. They traded a flurry of blows, each one of them blocking, dodging, or parrying the others' strikes, each impact releasing a shockwave. They knocked each other back with the impact of their blows. Cinder kept smiling and she returned it with her own. She created another long blade of crystallized flame in her other hand and launched herself forward much more ferociously than before. Yang ducked and swerved over to Cinder's right and shattered the right-handed sword swung at her.

Cinder landed and launched herself at Yang again but stopped short as she swung at her—extending her reach with flames. Cinder was outside the reach of her punches and was now forcing her back. Yang dodged, ducked, and leaned away from each of the swings, stepping back with each avoided blow until she backed herself up into a corner. "Let's see you try that again," Cinder said as she released another cone of flame at her.

In a split second she noticed a gap near the floor, a small window of escape as she dived into a prone position and blasted herself forward safely passed the flames with her gauntlets. Cinder looked surprised as she blasted herself backward with fire in her left hand, and threw the crystallized sword at Yang, causing it to explode on impact. The explosion grazed her a bit, but not enough to break her aura. Cinder launched forward, moving in for another strike, but this time she shrouded herself in flame. She jumped back and fired a volley of blasts from her gauntlets at her as she flew from side to side, avoiding them.

The instant she got close enough, Yang blasted herself upward over Cinder and landed on the other side. Cinder stopped in her tracks, turned around and released another cone of fire. Yang dodged to the side and kept strafing away from the moving flamethrower, inching closer and closer to her. She launched forward with another set of shotgun blasts and threw a series of punches at her as Cinder cut off her flamethrower. Dodging each one, she charged up a blast of magic and knocked Yang backward. Yang landed on her feet and expulsed the empty shells from her weapons and refilled her gauntlets. The instant she did, Cinder created a few of those weird, screeching flame mines of hers. She jumped up with a blast from her gauntlets, blasting herself forward and safely away from the resulting explosions and released another series of punches at Cinder who blocked each one with quickly formed crystalline short swords, each one breaking on impact. They exchanged another set of blows, again releasing more shockwaves with each contact.

Cinder smiled, knowing full well she had the advantage. Her aura was going to run out shortly, even if she avoided everything Cinder threw at her, meanwhile, Cinder could keep attacking with no cost. She had to end it now!

They traded yet another series of blows, with much more ferocity this time around. The instant the last sword shattered, Yang forced herself forward passed Cinder and hugged her from behind and squeezed tightly, quickly, and with a furious roar, she bended backward and slammed Cinder head first into the ground, unleashing one final shockwave. Dust and debris filled the area. The both of them coughed. She saw the orange flicker of Cinder's aura as it dissipated through the cloud. It faded.

Cinder coughed and stood up as the cloud of debris dispersed. "Well, well. You caught me by surprise. I should've expected you'd pull something so reckless. I was caught off guard."

Yang panted. "Yeah, well. I had to. You were winning, and you would've won had I not pulled that."

Cinder smiled. "This was certain fruitful. Although we still have a lot of work to do. Why don't we get some sleep now, and continue this when we wake up?"

"Sounds good! I'm beat," Yang said. She needed that. Her blood was pumping, adrenaline was still high, the guilt had faded, and she was feeling great. She wouldn't be able to sleep immediately until she cooled off, but she got it out of her system. She _definitely_ needed that.

"So where do we sleep?" Ruby asked.

"I'd rather not sleep in a dump, so why don't we rent some rooms for the night back in the Upper City?" Cinder said.

"I'm alright with that," Yang said.

They all walked back through the cave they came from and took a taxi to the Upper City. They had gotten some looks since they had come from the Lower City, but when they saw how they were dressed, the people just outside their ride were quick to look the other way. She could have sworn a few of them recognized her, though. She should probably be more mindful of that. She felt a twinge of guilt come on again as she recalled getting recognized by Vest. It was a dumb move. A famous huntress walking up to and openly confronting an officer of the very organization they were against? She shook her head. Stop it! No use beating herself up over it. She just had to fix it. That's all there was to it.

They walked down the white sidewalk of the Upper City, surrounded by yellow-orange lights that were still on despite it technically being morning due to the darkness from the storm clouds above. To their left, a series of restaurants still closed from the night before, many of them being of different cuisines, none of which were really familiar to her save for one restaurant catering to foreign tastes. On the left was a series of antique shops, clothing stores, book stores—all of the same design she had come to love from Mistral architecture.

They walked back to the same hotel they originally stayed in, but this time two more rooms were ordered, one for Cinder, and the other for Mercury. Yang and Ruby had been staying in the same room since it was cheaper that way. This particular hotel was crazy expensive. She should have expected it since it _was_ inthe rich side of Mistral. But boy oh boy good thing they were making good money.

"So, tomorrow. Same thing?" Mercury asked.

Cinder put her right hand on her hip and leaned to the side. "It was a good start, but not right away. I want to get some information on Vest and our dear governor. If we could, we should try and confirm that Owain really is the Berserker and go from there."

"Where would we even begin, though?" Yang asked, arms crossed. She leaned back against the wall to the side of the front desk area of the hotel where they all were, away from any of the other people.

"We start with Watts' old files. He had a room back in the Domain of Darkness that I never had time to sift through," Cinder said.

"What should we be looking for?" Ruby asked.

"Anything on Alexis. I don't know much about Watts' past, but he must have something there, some mention of him we can go on; a base, a home, acquaintances, his behaviors, likes, dislikes—something for us to latch on to so we don't wander aimlessly," Cinder said.

"Alright," Ruby said.

If she was being honest, there was something she could do—that the two of them could do. Something she honestly didn't want to do given what had happened recently, but if they were to find something to go on… "After we do that, I say Ruby and I ask some of the rich folk around to see if they know anything about any major event open to those of high-standing we might be able to get into, as Winter suggested."

Cinder grinned. "If we're going to do that, then you'll need to ensure Mercury and I can get in. Otherwise, we'll need to find someone who could give us some sort of pass. No offense you two, but even though you're famous, I doubt you know anyone. I'll be sure to use your names to help us get said passes,"

"You want us to stick around when you do that, or…" Yang said.

"We'll see if whatever event we can find allows guests, if not, then yes. That way they won't question us," Cinder said.

Mercury yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Can we talk about this in the morn—whenever we wake up? I'm barely keeping my eyes open here."

"That's fine. We'll work out the details later then," Cinder concurred.

They walked up to the elevator and took it up to the fourth floor where they were all staying. Once exiting the elevator, they split off, with her and Ruby walking down the burgundy-carpeted, golden-walled hallway with bright yellow lights on the ceiling. It was hurting her eyes. Neither her or Ruby said anything. They just walked straight into their room, though before she did… "Hey, Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"How does Morgan feel about Cinder? Just curious."

"She's upset that we're working with her. She understands why, but still doesn't like it."

"I thought you forgave her? Gave her a chance and stuff?"

"I did, but Morgan doesn't agree with that. She thinks Jaune and I should've killed her. We fought about it just before I came back that night with Qrow, actually."

"Oh. How'd it go?"

"I…managed to come to an agreement with her. Though she's not happy about our situation."

"What does she think we should do?"

"She's…unsure. Owain surprised her, surprised me. Full Rose almost broke when he struck it, and if Oscar's right, then we probably couldn't beat him. She's also concerned about Alexis. She's convinced he's hiding something, something big, especially with that speech he gave, and I believe her to be honest."

"I agree, though not much we can do about it right now. Though if we find any dirt on him from Watts' stuff then maybe that'll change. Come on." Yang walked through the door. "Let's get some rest."

Ruby yawned and stretched as she followed her inside. "Sounds good! I'm exhausted." Her arms drooped downward as she slouched. She took off bits and pieces of her outfit, letting the red cloak drop to the side of the bed as she placed Full Rose on top of it.

"See ya in a few hours, sis!" Yang said with a yawn.

"You too." Ruby wasted no time getting comfortable in her bed and knocking out.

Yang took off her gauntlets and placed them on the mahogany table to her left, took off her jacket, boots, and crawled into her bed. She laid there, arms behind her head, looking up at the ceiling. _It's not just an omen anymore, is it?_ She recalled Owain saying. He was strong, definitely strong. He said it was his semblance—the source of his strength—that allowed him to defeat three maidens practically with one blow each. What could it be? Did it just make him stronger? Did it make him stronger when he faced stronger enemies? And what about this whole Berserker business? What did _that_ mean? What did it do? She got the feeling that Owain was hiding a lot more of his strength, a few abilities she has yet to see. It kinda went with the territory.

She hated to admit it, but she definitely had to get stronger. It shouldn't really bother her though, should it? For some reason, she felt like she had to do this alone. Not that she would turn away help, but… _Hey, isn't that Yang Xiao Long?_ People recognized her, acknowledged her as this legendary huntress, but was she really? Wasn't that just her sister and her silver eyes? Maidens, and people that could turn into birds, Oscar. Was she really anything special?

She closed her eyes, trying to get some rest. If she intended to get stronger, she should get her rest. Just push down the fears, and the thoughts, and all the useless worries. It didn't matter. She'll get stronger. No matter what she had to do.

She finally dozed off. Hours passed, she didn't know how many. A loud repetitive sound woke her up, a voice following it. "Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose! Come on out!"

She looked over to her side and noticed Ruby waking up, concerned just as she was. Yang jumped off the bed, put on her gauntlets, and ran toward the door. She opened it slowly only to find Mercury there standing with a fat grin on his face.

"Got you! You look ready to punch my face in!" He said. Cinder stood behind him, leaning against the wall, unimpressed.

"I still might. What the hell? I was sleeping!" She said, walking back inside and toward the bed.

"I know. That's why we're here. Cinder wants to head to the fortress of menacing evil, or…whatever." He had walked inside.

"Fortress of menacing evil?" Cinder said.

"What else would you call it?" He said.

"The Domain of Darkness? It's _proper_ name?" Cinder said.

"…Right," Mercury said.

She took off her gauntlets and walked toward the bathroom, grabbing her jacket and boots placed on the floor. "Give me a minute to get ready." She walked in and shut the door, freshening up and putting on her jacket after brushing it off over the shirt she wore as she listened in on the conversation outside. She put on her boots, washed her hands, and then splashed her face repeatedly with cold water from the sink.

"So what are we going to do there, again?" Ruby asked.

"We're going to go over Watts' old things, see if we can find anything on Alexis, his old employer there. Anything we can use to give us a lead. Maybe we'll find something on Owain as well," Cinder said.

"What makes you say that?" Ruby asked.

"He didn't come from nowhere. Someone that powerful? He's an adult, _someone_ must have encountered him in the past, and Watts was with Salem longer than I was. "Did Salem bribe you" is what Oscar asked of him. He claimed to not know who Salem was, but it's _Salem_ we're talking about, soI have to assume she knew something about him."

"She's right. It can't be just him who knew of these embodiments or whatever. Salem must have known about them too and Oscar was able to tell he was one of them just from his aura. All it would take is a bit of hearsay for someone like Salem to know about him," Mercury said.

"Alright. Wait, is all of Watts' stuff over there? I thought he was Atlesian. Wouldn't he have some stuff over there as well?" Ruby asked.

Yang finished up and walked out. "Alright I'm ready. And we could ask Winter. Considering what happened while we were in Atlas all those years ago, they must have some dirt on him."

Cinder looked over to Yang. "Or they destroyed his things or confiscated them. It's a possible lead, but let's not rely on it. Anything of importance within his things over in Atlas would have been put under lock and key so to speak, by Ironwood. If you can convince him to hand over that information—assuming it exists—then wonderful, but let's stop by the Domain of Darkness first."

Ruby went to the bathroom to get ready.

"Do you have a ride ready?" Yang asked.

"No, not one that'll take us there. Perhaps this is where your reputation could come in handy," Cinder said.

She knew what Cinder was referring to. Really no one else nearby that could help them out. She pulled out her scroll and dialed Ghira's number. "Hey, Ghira. We need an airship that can take us to the Domain of Darkness. You think you can get us one?"

"Dangerous area, but okay. I assume it's important, so I'll ask one of our available pilots to lend you a ride," Ghira said.

"Thanks! Appreciate it! We'll be right over," She said.

"Take your time. Also, have you talked to Blake recently?"

"Yeah, why? Anything happen?"

"No, not anything you wouldn't be aware of. We saw her speech and then the recent one from Alexis, but Blake has been so busy lately with the White Fang that I've just been wondering."

"I'll be sure to let her know you're worried."

"Thanks. See you soon."

"Likewise," She said as she hung up. "Well. There you go."

Ruby exited the bathroom ready to go. She walked over to her bed and picked up her cloak, put it on, and then picked up Full Rose and placed it on her lower back. "Ready."

"Then let's go over to Haven," Cinder said.

They walked from out of the hotel and near the front a few cabs were waiting around for service. They walked to one of them and bought a ride over to Haven Academy. Took around fifteen minutes of driving from where they were to reach the academy itself and once there, Yang tipped the driver, and they all walked through the front entrance of the academy and into the courtyard itself. The airship landing was not too far from where they were and would only take them around ten minutes of walking to reach the platform.

"I'll be right back. Go ahead to the airship landing," Yang said, as she walked over to the section where the Headmaster's office was. She turned her head around to glance over at the three of them walking toward the landing and turned back forward.

She reached the large building and opened the doors, ignoring all the people wandering about both in and out of the building itself. A few of them gave her glances, nods, some of them waved hello, and even asked for her autograph—which she gave as she continued walking to the staircase, climbing it, and then walking down the hallway until she reached a door on the other side of the corridor marked as Ghira's office.

She knocked.

"Who is it?" Ghira said.

"It's me," She said.

"Oh! Please! Come on in!"

She opened the door and walked inside. "Hey." The room was lit up by the chandelier on the ceiling.

"Yang! Good to see you again! Please, have a seat. Where is your sister?" Ghira said.

She walked forward toward a burgundy colored seat made entirely of a cushion-like material. "She's headed toward the airship landing. I told them to go on ahead." She sat down and crossed her right leg over the other, crossing her arms, but lazily.

Ghira let one arm rest on the curved, ornate desk, the other hand placed on his lap. "I see. Going to Salem's hideout is dangerous business. May I ask why you're going there?"

"We need to find some leads on Alexis, and it just so happens that one of Alexis' former employees was one of Salem's inner circle."

"So you're hoping to find something on Alexis, then? You don't trust him I take it?"

"None of us do. He's up to something, and he's working with the governor who plans to invade Vacuo."

His brow furrowed. "That's…not good news. Any idea why?" He leaned in, placing both of his elbows on the desk, one hand over the other.

"Oscar thinks he wants the relic in Shade Academy."

He sighed. "The relics again." He took his arms off the desk, and spun his chair around, looking out into the setting sun outside the windows that lay all across the wall. "It's always about them, isn't it?" He sighed again and spun the chair back around to face her. "Well, if that's the case, I won't keep you any longer. Give Blake my best when you can, and hurry back. The paperwork is done, and the pilot should already be waiting for you."

"Thanks. Will do." She stood up. "And don't worry. We'll stop this mess before it gets any worse!"

"Thank you."

She turned around and walked out of the office and toward the landing.

* * *

Stepping over the dark purple crystal-like floor, dark crystals laid out all over the place, long dark purple table placed on in front of her, she found herself reminiscing. "Never thought I'd see this dreary place again."

"Yeah," Ruby said.

"I hated this place. Never had anything to do!" Mercury said, poking at the crystals. She wondered if he ever did this back then, when he was here with Cinder.

"Let's not waste time. Follow me to Watts' room," Cinder said. She walked through the door they came from and down the hallway.

They followed her as she took the first turn that appeared. They walked down the dark corridor, gray stone walls, blood-red doors, and dim lighting placed above. She stopped at a door near the end that led to a room that seemed bigger than the rest given the spacing between this door and the others. She opened it and walked inside, with the rest of them walking through.

Inside were tools, machines, parts, and papers strewn all about. Tables, drills, and scientific instruments of all kinds laid out everywhere. "Start looking. I got the shelf of papers over there," Cinder said, walking toward a blood-red wooden shelf placed on the wall that had a large number of files stacked on top of one another in three separate columns.

Yang put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Well, this is going to take a while."


	7. Yang's Arc Chapter 5

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 5 – A Strange Threat**

* * *

Yang walked over to a desk off to the side that was made of a blood-red colored wood that had a number of scientific instruments on it, along with some jars filled with pale green liquid, and papers neatly stacked off to the left side of the desk. This whole place was so broody and dark. She had pushed it out of her mind throughout the last few years. Why would anyone want to live here? Though on second thought, the dude probably didn't have a choice.

She fiddled with some of the equipment—flicking a jar here, prodding a microscope there—until she decided to stop messing around. She picked up the stack of papers. _Grimm Adaptability in Response to Huntsmen and Huntresses,_ she read through it as best she could. The whole thing was written in arcane terminology and was filled to the brim with facts and figures, none of which she remotely cared about, though she could guess what the paper was about. She threw the paper behind her, only to find that the report continued. She threw this one behind her again, and then the next page, and the next, until she threw back around ten papers in total.

The next page read, _Dust Formation, both Organic and Inorganic Modeling_. Another scientific paper, though oddly this one was written normally. She skimmed through it and noticed that it had been written with a more personal style. Was it something Watts was privately interested in? She read from the top quietly, "We've known for a while where dust could be found and how to mine it. We know little about _how_ it forms, except that it seems to follow similar geological and chemical processes like those found in other natural minerals. Most of us haven't even considered the possibility of organic processes. Could dust be formed by living beings?"

"Watts was a pretty boring dude," Mercury said from off in the distance of the room.

"Tell me about it," Ruby responded. Something shattered. Probably something made of glass from the sound of it. "Whoops."

She kept reading to herself. "I've asked around, but no one seems to care. Most of the arguments I've come across center around the fact that there is currently no theory on how dust would even form organically, thus it isn't considered a lucrative line of research. Not that anyone would dare admit that. There's got to be someone interested in funding such research. Science doesn't progress without taking risks and asking questions people aren't willing to answer!" This was certainly written by Arthur, that much was obvious. She wondered about him, and their encounters with him. Not just then, but even before that.

She skimmed through the page, and then turned it over, continuing to read, then threw the paper back. She looked back on the desk and noticed a red journal placed underneath some clutter. She placed the rest of the papers back down, picked up the journal, and opened it. She read through it. It talked about his career in Atlas, about how he ended up pursuing work in Cybernetics, which was very popular in Atlas, as he couldn't keep his job as a scientist otherwise. This led him to work under Ironwood, who was a Colonel at the time. She had to read between the lines, but apparently this was around the time Ironwood had just been told by Ozpin about Salem's existence as Ironwood was acting paranoid at the time, as Watts described it. Ironwood ordered the massive expansion of the military's robotics research, something that Watts noted pissed off a lot of the council members of Atlas.

It was then that Watts took advantage of his view that Ironwood was paranoid by suggesting to him to consider research into the creation of dust and its applications, such as dust armor, or perhaps dust-enhanced soldiers, utilizing it in ways that not even someone injecting dust could rival. Ironwood rejected the ideas, saying that ethics was involved. Watts had been ignored and he continued ranting about how it went on for years before h—and there it was. Alexis' name had finally been mentioned. He mentioned meeting Alexis in private at one point. Alexis—who was a Major—told him that he found Watts to be a "cut above the rest" as Watts described it and that he found his ideas fascinating and worth pursuing.

She had read several pages in. "I think I'm getting somewhere over here. I'll need to keep reading, but Watts is describing his first meeting and relationship with Alexis."

"Really?" Cinder said. "Go on then. I'm almost finished over here."

She continued reading. Over the months, Alexis had formed a secret research group within the Atlesian Military which included Watts who he had made his second-in-command, even giving him the rank of Chief Researcher. They researched dust, its natural processes and made quite a few discoveries, and eventually found a plausible mechanism for how dust could form through organic means. Watts had published this research paper at Alexis' behest, though Alexis didn't put his signature on the paper due to him leading the secret group which technically wasn't legal.

This paper led to Ironwood reconsidering the research proposals from Watts as he gave him the funding to further pursue his research. Ironwood even suggested he look into Aura with some of his personal researchers if he had the time, though Watts declined—having been more interested in researching dust. She kept reading, page after page describing his research in great detail. Both him and Alexis apparently grew close. Watts wrote down that—over time, he and his team hit a wall and were unable to replicate research on dust formation through organic means.

In desperation, Watts used his doctor's expertise to find a few faunus to use as guinea pigs under Alexis' orders. They were apparently criminals who had been given a death sentence. However, they were caught eventually, and when taken to court, Alexis used the fact that he had not legally signed off on such research to argue that he had no knowledge of such activities, practically throwing Watts under the bus. He argued—quite effectively according to Watts—that he had been obsessed with researching such means of dust formation for years, and that he tried to turn him away from such research. The other scientists in his team took Alexis' side, and Watts ended up in prison, disgraced, and stripped of all his titles.

"Yang, did you find anything related to dust?" Cinder asked.

"I did actually," She said. "Watts wanted to figure out if dust could be produced by living beings and stuff." She turned over to Cinder and closed the journal, showing it to her. "I even found his diary."

"Really?" Cinder said, curious. "Do tell."

"He worked closely with Alexis who was apparently the only one willing to fund his interests. They experimented on people and got caught, then Alexis had him take the fall. At least, according to Watts."

Cinder put her fingers on her chin. "Would certainly explain why he ended up with Salem. She was fond of finding people with a grudge against the academies and since the Atlesian military and Atlas Academy are one…"

"Did _you_ find anything?" Yang asked to Cinder.

"Only references to Alexis being interested in making compact dust engines which could possibly be implanted into people," Cinder said, with a serious look on her face.

She recalled the words of the scientists she had spied on with Ren. _Dust-tuned?_ "Did any of those papers mention the phrase "dust-tuned?"" She asked.

"No. Most of the papers meant nothing, but some of them were related to Watts' spying of Atlas, specifically Alexis. The man definitely bore a grudge, and based on what you've found, I'd say Alexis has been using Watts' research.

"Not only that, but apparently Alexis refrained from mentioning any of this to Ironwood, especially since Watts was convinced Alexis knew he was working for Salem," said Mercury who walked up to them, eyes locked to a piece of paper in his right hand.

"How so?" Cinder asked.

"While he was spying on Alexis, he noted that him and Ironwood had fundamental disagreements. Ironwood funded the Penny project in the hopes that they could use her to store maiden powers. "An Eternal Maiden" as he put it. Meanwhile, according to this, Alexis wanted to find out how Ozpin's power worked, in the hopes of recreating it. He disagreed with the existence of the maidens, apparently. Watts quotes him as saying "the existence of the maidens is a threat. No key should be capable of moving around like that, nor should it be in the hands of people who could be turned against us."" Mercury said.

"That…doesn't exactly tell us how Alexis knew Watts was working with Salem and why he kept it secret," Ruby said.

"Right." He flipped the paper and read from the back. "When the attack on Beacon happened, Watts manage to spy on Alexis, having recorded him saying that he knew that "one of his former associates" would capitalize on the centralized intelligence of the robots Atlas had brought to the Vytal festival."

"And Alexis didn't tell anyone before the attack happened, I take it?" Yang asked.

"You guessed it! The guy practically let it happen." Mercury chuckled a bit. "Had this guy actually mentioned this to Ironwood, our assault on Beacon would've failed!"

Cinder looked down and to the side, as if pondering. "You don't say…" She looked up to him. "I think we found some dirt. It's possible he didn't say anything given the nature of his relationship with Watts. Had he revealed to Ironwood what Watts was doing, it's possible it might have reopened the investigation on Watts experiments all in the name of security."

"But wouldn't he have been able to lie or something?" Ruby asked. "If he knew about all of that, what did he hope to gain by not revealing it?"

"Maybe he wanted Salem to win. Look what happened following the attack. Ironwood became even more ironfisted in his approach and him and Alexis didn't see eye to eye, right? Maybe he saw it as a political opportunity to take down the general," Mercury said.

"We could contact Winter about it. Ask her if she remembers anything strange about Alexis' behavior back then. Or maybe she'll remember something with the information we have," Ruby said.

"Good idea, contact Winter before we leave," Cinder said.

"What about Owain? Anything on him?" Yang asked.

"Nope," Mercury said.

"Nothing on my end either. And from what we got so far, Alexis is definitely shady. Whatever he's up to is serious," Ruby said.

"It's been seven years since they had been able to attempt to siphon maiden powers. Winter was definitely right to be concerned about tha—wait, wasn't Watts the one who gave Salem the means to steal maiden powers in the first place, thanks to his work with Alexis?" Yang asked.

"I'm not sure. Salem never told me how she obtained the means to steal the power," Cinder said. "Considering her power, she could've done that herself, or perhaps was inspired by Atlas' research."

"Maybe he figured it out from spying on the guy? Alexis was a Colonel, right?" Mercury asked.

Yang noticed Ruby looking at Cinder rather seriously.

"Cinder? You're worried that Alexis is going to try and steal the Fall Maiden's powers from you and give it to your stepsister, aren't you?" asked Ruby.

She looked over to her, surprised. "How did you figure _that_ out?"

"It was Morgan who figured it out actually. She suspected it just a moment ago, to be honest," Ruby said.

Cinder's brow furrowed. She clenched her teeth. "The last thing I'm going to let happen is for that _bitch_ to get _my_ powers." She looked over to Yang. "We need more dirt on Alexis. We don't want to be caught off guard. If Alexis is after my powers, then he'll be after us."

"Still wanna go to one of those parties?" Mercury asked.

"Well, it's definitely risky from what we've figured out so far," Ruby said.

"Yes, we should. Though we definitely need to be careful, now more than ever," Cinder said.

Yang crossed her arms and gave Cinder a look. _Suddenly invested, aren't you?_ She thought.

She turned to her. " _What?_ " She said, angrily.

"Nothing, nothing," Yang said.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Cinder said. "You think I'm selfish!"

Yang scoffed. "Why would I think that?"

Cinder gave her a glare.

"Alright, alright, let's not fight! We're all on the same side, right now! Save the anger for the enemy," Ruby said.

Yang sighed. "Sorry about that," she said.

Cinder's expression lightened up. "It's fine," She said, turning around. "Have we searched everything?"

"Pretty much. At least on my end," Mercury said.

"I'm all finished up," Ruby said.

"I have a few more papers to read, but I think I covered most of the good stuff," Yang said.

"Alright, then. Let's head back to Mistral then. We'll search around for any party happening around. Alexis is playing politics, he _must_ have one prepped. He should be gathering the major players in the kingdom and inviting them over to sweet talk them, given his current position. Owain's violence is probably not doing him any favors," Cinder said.

"Let me call Winter, then," Ruby said. She took out her scroll and called her. A moment passed, then another, then another. Nothing. "Huh, no answer."

"Try again along the way back to Mistral," Cinder said.

* * *

They arrived back in Mistral. They went straight to the Upper City in the middle of the afternoon and stopped by a large plaza surrounded by blocks and blocks of shops all laid out like a labyrinth, many of them reaching several stories high, all of them made of rich-looking white wood, ornamented with gold. The rooftops were of a red color.

Ruby wasn't able to get a hold of Winter during the trip. She hoped nothing had happened. She looked over at her little sister, noticing the worried expression on her face. "So, where do we start?" Yang asked.

"You let me handle that," Mercury said. "Although I think it should be just Yang and me," He said.

"Why?" Yang asked.

"We don't want word to spread that someone who looks like Anastasia's stepsister is asking around about a party involving the governor or Alexis," He said. "Cinder is still pretty infamous, remember?"

"Good thinking," Cinder said. "In that case, we'll just take a different approach. Right Ruby?" She asked, giving her a grin.

Ruby shrugged. "Uh, sure. But what would that be?"

"Don't worry about it," she said.

"Come on, let's go talk to some snobs," He said to Yang, walking away from the group.

Yang followed. "Probably shouldn't say that out loud."

"Nah, we're fine," He said.

They walked around the Upper City, passing several blocks; she looked from side to side, checking out all of the really pricy stores that seemed to be things that served no other purpose than to be bought by rich people. There was a furniture store that was like ten times more expensive than the usual furniture store she was familiar with but didn't really seem that much different. It _looked_ different sure, but she was skeptical that it was actually worth it.

Mercury stopped by a group of people that were well dressed that stood in front of a fountain near a restaurant where a band playing classical music was propped up in front of the fountain. "Hey there, fellas! You wouldn't happen to know of any ball or something happening soon, would you? I'm looking for one where we could meet some of our representatives from the government. You see," he turned his head around and pointed at Yang. "My friend here is interested in getting acquainted with the New Regime, being a famous huntress and all."

At first the people were outright looking down at Mercury, each one of them with a scrunched-up face with one eyebrow raised, but when he pointed at her and mentioned that she was famous, they seemed to catch on. "Wait, is that…it is!" one of them said. "You're Yang Xiao Long! In the flesh! Might I get your autograph?" He pulled out his wallet and took out his business card. He handed her a pen.

"Uh, sure!" Yang said, as she grabbed the pen. "Where would you like it? On the back?"

"That would be lovely, thanks!" He said as he flipped the card around.

She signed her name.

"I think there is a ball happening soon. Next week, right? On the weekend?" Another man said.

"You're thinking of next week. There's a ball happening _this_ week, on Saturday. Cousin of mine says Alexis plans to attend along with half the major business leaders in Upper Mistral!" A woman said.

"Great!" Yang said. "Where is it?"

"Oh, it's happening within the governor's mansion. Starts eight pm," the woman said.

"Thanks!" She said.

"Might I say, Ms. Xiao Long—I'm not sure if they'll allow guests. No doubt they'll allow _you_ given who you are, but your friend here," She looked Mercury up and down as if disgusted.

"Oh, don't you worry about me your majesty," Mercury said, giving her a grin.

" _Excuse me?_ " The lady said as she jerked her hand to her chest.

Yang pulled on his collar and dragged him off. "Don't mind him! Thanks for the information!"

"H-hey!" He said.

As soon as they got out of earshot, she let him go.

He brushed himself off. "See? Snobby. Like, they make no effort to avoid the stereotypes."

"Still. We got what we came for. Two days from now, we crash ourselves a ball!" She said.

"We "crash"?" He said.

"You know what I mean," She said. "This was way too quick. Do you think Cinder and Ruby did anything yet?"

"No idea. Could call them and see," Mercury said.

She took out her scroll and called Ruby. "Hey Rube, you guys do anything yet?"

"No, we just left you guys," She said.

"Well, where are you? We already got what we came for. Saturday, eight pm, at the governor's mansion," Yang said.

"Do they allow guests?" Ruby asked.

"Wasn't able to find out. I'm sure we can insist if need be," Yang said.

"Alright, I'll tell Cinder. We're over at this store called, uhh, hold on." A moment passed. "Tanner's Boutique."

"Alright, we'll be right over," Yang said. She hung up. "There at a place called Tanner's Boutique."

Mercury took out his scroll and messed with it for a few seconds. "Got it. Down south from where we are. Big building, clothing shop."

They both walked in that direction. Upon arriving, she looked up and noticed a large ornate wooden sign with fancy writing labeled _Tanner's Boutique_ that was exactly what Mercury said it was. Through the windows, she could see lines and lines of fancy clothing, all of the same white or black color, though some of them were vanilla, blue, and red. "I'm not wearing a dress." She said. Not that she didn't mind, but rather that she wasn't in the mood for it.

"And I am not wearing a suit," He said.

Though considering why they were attending, she'd probably have to. They both walked in. She looked around and noticed Ruby off in the corner fidgeting. They walked over to her. "What's up? Where's Cinder?" Yang asked.

"In here," a muffled voice said. Cinder was in the Changing Room. She walked out, wearing a sparkling red dress that dropped to the floor, shrouding her feet. She wore long black sparkling gloves that went all the way passed her elbows. "Well?"

"Looks fine, I guess," Ruby said. Cinder simply gave her a look and a frown.

"Noooot really one to tell," Mercury said.

"How expensive is that?" Yang said. This was a place for rich people, no way that outfit wasn't a wallet buster.

"Ugh," Cinder said. She turned around and walked back into the Changing Room. "You guys are no fun." It sounded like she was shuffling around in there. "We need to make a good presentation. The more we impress the more people are willing to talk to us."

"I thought we were going to use mine and Ruby's reputation." Yang said.

"Which will get us through the door, both literally and figuratively, but it'll take more than just your reputations to make people talk gossip. They need to know you're one of them, and a big part of that is dressing the part."

"Guess that means I'm wearing a suit," Mercury said.

"Do I have to wear lady stilts?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Cinder said flatly.

Yang sighed. "Guess I'll go pick up a dress." She turned around and walked deeper into the store. It had several floors and was alit with a golden light. The wood was a hardwood, golden brown color, and the walls were white and were accentuated with burgundy-colored wooden shelves of clothing. She walked passed a few dresses—all hanged over folded clothes beneath them. All of them were colored white, which bored her. She continued walking until she came by a section of two-piece clothing, one part of it filled with different colors of tops and different colors of bottoms.

She honestly didn't know what to pick, nor where to even begin. All of them were beautiful. Some of them more than others. The variety was stunning and so were the price tags. She _really_ hoped the ball yielded some great info. She took out her wallet and frowned. Apparently, fame didn't always make one rich. Either way, she _could_ afford it.

* * *

Yang walked up to the doorman—Ruby, Cinder, and Mercury following her.

"May I help you madam? This place is for invited guests only, no exceptions," The doorman said.

"Not even for Yang Xiao Long?" She said, arms crossed, fat smile on her face.

He gasped. "It's you!" He looked to the side and looked at Ruby. "And _you_!" He coughed. "It just so happens that I've been given the command to allow…well… _notable_ figures in, if they don't have an invitation."

"Notable?" She asked.

"Yes, Alexis has given us assurance that the governor is perfectly fine with such an exception," He said. "Please, please, come in! Your guests are welcome too!"

She turned around and gave them a thumbs up. They all smiled as they followed her into the governor's mansion.

The place was enormous inside. Lit with a bright orange-yellow light from a giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the floor was made entirely of an orangish-colored tile reminiscent of a wood-like texture. All sides except the entrance had large, wide staircases with dark-red carpeting trailing up the stairs through the center.

" _Yang?"_ A familiar voice said.

She looked over to her right and noticed Weiss walking up to her. She was accompanied by Whitley and some other light-blond haired, light-blue eyed person wearing a similar white-blue suit that Whitley wore.

"Hey! Winter told us you might have come to something like this!" She said.

"Hey Weiss!" Ruby yelled, perhaps a little too loud.

"Shh," Weiss said, smiling. "It's good to see you too Ruby." She looked over to Cinder and Mercury and gave a courteous smile. "Cinder, Mercury." She looked back to Yang. "What are you doing here? Beautiful dress, by the way."

"Thanks! Figured we should come to one of these ourselves, you know," Yang said. She looked over to the unknown man. "Who's this?"

Weiss turned her head back to the man. "Oh! This is Perc—" She cleared her throat. "Percival Crescent. I've mentioned him before."

"Right! You did!" Yang extended her hand and he returned the gesture as they shook hands. "No offense, but I don't think she needs a bodyguard."

Weiss crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and smiled as if about to make a point. "Percival."

Percival cleared his throat, covering his mouth with the bottom of his fist as he then started counting his fingers. "Food poisoning, super-quiet assassins in the night, taking her family hostage, blowing up the building while she's asleep, anthrax in her letters, aura-breaking weapons, terrorists, tampered dust, sabotaged transports, exploding cars, etcetera, etcetera." He moved his hands behind his back, clasping them.

Weiss placed a hand on her hips, keeping that grin on her face.

"Super-quiet assassins?" Mercury said.

" _Super_ -quiet assassins," Percival responded, flat expression on his face.

"It may seem a bit overkill, but Percival is probably the best bodyguard our family has ever had. He's wonderful company as well, as I'm sure my big sister can attest to," Whitley said.

" _Whitley_!"

"Oh come now, he makes a _wonderful_ omelet. Never had any better. Almost as good as yours, Weiss!" Whitley said.

She crossed her arms again. " _Almost_. Mine are still the best. He's right though. The family loves him. Klein gets along really well with him as well."

"Which reminds me. I have another Chess match scheduled with him tonight upon our return," Percival said.

"What about the SDC?" Ruby asked.

"Father's taking care of it while she's away. Mother's helping him," Whitley said.

"By the way, you didn't see Blake on your way, did you?" Weiss said.

"No. She's coming?" Yang asked.

"I think so. I took a look at the guest list earlier and her name was on it," Weiss said.

"Guess that means the whole team is here," Ruby said. " _Hey!_ When Blake gets here, why don't we go take down the governor!" Ruby whispered loudly.

"Ruby, no." Weiss said in a deadpan tone.

"I know, I know, just joking," Ruby said.

"Speak of the devil." Cinder said.

They all turned around as Blake—along with Sun, Ilia, and Adam—walked beside and behind her through the entrance.

"Hey Blake! Glad you could make it," Weiss said.

"Weiss! Yang! Ruby! I'm surprised you're all here!" Blake said. "What are you two doing here?" She asked to Yang and Ruby.

"We wanted to check one of these things out. See what Alexis and the governor are up to," Yang said.

"Will both of them be here?" Adam asked. He wore a suit that looked a lot like his old suit from several years ago, but without his mask.

"Alexis we can be certain of, but as for the governor, I'm not sure to be honest," Weiss said.

"Oh, sorry, I don't think we've met," Blake said, moving closer to Percival.

"Charmed, Ms. Belladonna. The name is Percival Crescent. I do believe Ms. Schnee has mentioned me during your phone call from a while ago," He said as he shook Blake's hand, with the other hand held behind his back.

"We did. Good to finally meet you in person!" Blake said.

"Likewise," He bowed.

They all walked toward a vacant corner in the shadow of the right staircase, around where no one could overhear them unless they got close.

"So what are we doing?" Yang asked.

"I'm assuming you guys have been up to something," Weiss said.

"We were!" Yang said. "Found a few things out about Alexis, though nothing on Owain yet."

"Like what?" Blake asked.

"Mostly stuff about his relationship with Watts," Mercury said.

"Apparently, Alexis and Watts were experimenting on faunus to test the development of miniature dust engines which were to be implanted into soldiers," Cinder said.

Adam's brow furrowed. "I'm assuming these were the dust engines mentioned in the recording. If that's the case, then Alexis hasn't stopped since then."

"Agreed," Blake said. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Based on what my sister told me, the governor is planning to invade Vacuo. If what you're saying is true, then I can only assume he is assisting the governor's plans by equipping the New Dawn soldiers with these engines," Weiss said.

"And in so doing, giving them an edge over run-of-the-mill Atlas soldiers and knights," Percival said, arms clasped behind his back.

"Which means we probably don't have much time before they launch an invasion," Yang said.

"If he's experimented on faunus in the past, then he's probably doing it again. He still needs guinea pigs, right?" Adam said.

"You thinking we hit a base? Can we do that?" Ilia said.

"If we pinned the blame on the Black Claw, why not?" Sun said.

"No, we can't unfortunately," Blake said. "I already condemned violence in that speech. I…think our hands are tied in that respect."

"But not if they attack first, right?" Adam turned around and faced Blake.

She nodded. "If they launch an invasion, then we are to assist the rebellion, Atlas, or whoever else is on the side of stopping the New Dawn."

"Ms. Schnee, if I may," Percival asked.

"Go on, Percival," Weiss said.

"I don't think we'll be able to stop the invasion. However, we can weaken them. Although the White Fang might not be able to assault anything belonging to the New Dawn, I do believe that a few huntsmen and huntresses _not_ of team RWBY could crash one of their bases," he said.

"What about Qrow, Raven, and the others?" Weiss said.

Yang crossed her arms and clenched her fist, hiding it within her arm. She looked over at Blake as she seemed to notice her shift in mood.

Blake looked to the group. "Before we decide on anything, why don't we enjoy the night and see how things play out? Play things by ear. Never know what we might find out tonight."

The group had split up to enjoy the night's event. Blake's group went off toward the southeast part of the mansion, quite a few feet away from the left staircase where they were intercepted by a group of what seemed to be Mistral businessfolk. Weiss, Percival, and Whitley went toward the northern staircase toward two businessmen with patches on their right arms that bore a crest that looked like a golden ship wheel, while Cinder and Mercury went toward the left staircase away from anyone else.

Yang walked up to the east wall, slightly south of the right staircase—with Ruby beside her—as she noticed the large painting hung up on the wall. She smiled. It was a painting of Beacon, and the four of them in their uniforms when they attended the academy all those years ago, before their journey even began. Several painters wanted to capture their images in a work of art, and the four of them spent quite a bit of time arguing over what the image should be, so they had decided to leave it up to the painters, having only told them the details of their past and journey.

"It's a good painting," Ruby said, smiling. "They got the details just right, and it looks like us."

Yang looked at the four of them standing directly in front of the statue of the two warriors, atop the boulder which shadowed over the beowolf. "You know." She said, still smiling. "I'm still getting used to this whole fame thing."

"Tell me about it," Ruby said.

"I never really asked you about it," Yang said.

"Asked me about what?" Ruby said.

"You've always wanted to be the hero, just like in the fairy tales, remember? Do you think—does it _feel_ like you've accomplished that?" Yang asked. She almost felt like it was a stupid question to ask, but the world was still the world, and there was always good work to be done.

There was a pause as Ruby just kept scanning the painting. "You know…I think I did. It's apparently not over, but yeah I do!" She said, looking over at her, widening her smile.

Yang turned back to the painting, gazing at the past version of team RWBY, all of them smiling, all of them ignorant, yet all of them happy. She just stood there, absorbing the work of art—the setting sun's light scattered across the landscape by Beacon Tower evoked a sense of nostalgia in her. The painters really did capture the _no care in the world_ tone. "Come on, let's go mingle!" She said, turning away from the painting, giving it one last look.

"Ugh, do we have to?" Ruby said, fiddling with the red scarf around her neck.

"Oh come on are you _still_ socially awkward?" Yang teased.

"Pffft, no, I just don't have anything to talk about with the kind of people who come to these things willingly," Ruby said, who turned to look at all the attendees.

"Yeah, I know. Still though." Yang said. She walked up to where Weiss was.

"Miss Xiao Long!" One of the businessmen said. He was a tall brown haired, brown-eyed man. "Come! Join us!"

"Hey, Yang. What's going on?" Weiss said. A waiter came around with a plate of several filled glasses of white wine. She picked one up and took a sip.

"Oh, nothing, just bored." Yang said. She glanced over at Percival who was fiddling with his scroll. "So how'd you two meet?" She asked Weiss.

"Yes! I've wondered about that as well!" The short, stocky businessman said.

"What does a huntress with your reputation need with such high-quality security?" The tall man said.

Percival looked away from his scroll and put it away, looking over to Weiss.

Weiss looked over to Percival and then back at Yang, and the two men. "It was a year ago now, right?" She said, turning her head over to Percival.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee. It would have been a year and two months in exactly a week," He said. "We met during one of her father's business meetings. Apparently, her mother was afraid that Weiss' new-found fame would attract old enemies of the Schnee family rather than deter them."

"Yeah, mom didn't think that I could defend myself to be honest. "Just because you're a legendary huntress doesn't mean you're invincible!" She said. So, they spent time looking for a bodyguard they could trust."

"How many prospects did they burn through?" The short man asked.

"I personally can't say, though I can say I wasn't the first, but during a mission from Atlas Academy, I met Weiss and we ended up talking about a few things. As it turned out, we had a lot in common and so we ended up having a friendly dinner together in which the topic about her family looking for a bodyguard came up and…the rest is history," Percival said.

"That's pretty much it," Weiss said. "He's been living in the Schnee Mansion ever since," Weiss said.

The waiter came around—and without looking—Yang snatched a wine glass from the plate and took a sip. "So _has_ there been any attempts on Weiss' life?" She asked.

"Wondering the same thing myself," The tall man said.

"Not many to be honest," Percival said.

"Well, there was that one incident in the skies," Whitley said.

"Incident?" Yang said.

"A while ago—about three months—Weiss and I were traveling to Mantle, where she was to meet a number of representatives of its government on trade policy related to dust," Percival said.

"Oh! That was during the International Trade Reforms Summit brought about by the council of Mantle, right?" The short man asked.

"Indeed, it was. On the way, our transport was attacked by a strangely-designed airship which ended up attaching itself to our ship. Skilled armored fighters came aboard, and we fended them off," Percival said.

"And he's quite the skilled fighter. I didn't even have to lift a finger!" Weiss said.

"You said it was strangely-designed. The airship I mean," The tall man said. "What did you mean by that?"

"It wasn't of a design I'm familiar with. I've…researched most airship designs, and this wasn't in any of them. A new model bearing an aesthetic completely uncommon in any of the others. It's…hard to describe," Percival said.

"Oh it's fine," Yang said.

"Might I inquire about the design? Sorry to digress, but maybe I could help identify it?" The tall man said.

"It was dark gray, and blue in color, completely unmarked, and…hold on," Percival said. He took out his scroll and fiddled with it a bit. "Here, a picture of it."

The tall man took the scroll. "Huh. You're right. Never seen that before. A new, unmarked model? Is there someone making black market airships?" He said, handing back the scroll.

"Wouldn't know, though I've been looking into it," Percival said.

"Was that the only attack?" Yang asked.

"That I've personally encountered? Yes. Percival has stopped a number of other threats, supposedly from disgruntled White Fang members who opposed Blake's leadership," Weiss said.

"Sounds like the type of people that might have joined the Black Claw by now," Yang remarked, taking another sip of the wine.

Percival chuckled slightly. "Possibly."

"You know, I miss going out with you guys. The next time you two go out on a mission or something, mind having me along?" Weiss asked.

Percival coughed. "I don't think that's wise, Ms. Schnee."

"Oh hush! You could come along you know?" She retorted.

"Perhaps so, but the SDC is still technically in your name now, and you are its president. It'll look bad on your reputation if you forego your duties," He said.

Weiss sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Couldn't you use your reputation as one of us to get some leeway or something?" Yang said.

"Unfortunately, no. Although they love the idea of a legendary huntress leading the SDC, unfortunately they prefer that even someone like me behaves reliably. And in the world of business, that means playing the role of a businesswoman. If I went on missions every now and then, especially during work, they'll see me as an unreliable president," She said.

Yang crossed her arms. "Yeah, that sounds boring. Don't know how you do it. Staying cooped up in an office all day, every day? No thanks!"

"Well, that's because you are _still_ the hothead we know and love!" Weiss said.

"Damn right I am! Never gonna change either!" Yang said, throwing Weiss a cocky smirk. She turned around and noticed Ruby over at a table by herself. "Hey, I'll catch you later!" She said.

"Alright, we'll be here!" Weiss said.

Yang walked over to Ruby. The table was covered in a silky, white cloth, filled with platters of different snacks—cheeses, meats, vegetables, and fruit—with wine casks placed on the far left of the table. "Not gonna mingle?" She asked.

"Nope," Ruby said.

Yang smiled. "Well, I won't force it. Hey, did you ever get a hold of Winter?" She tossed a grape into her mouth.

Ruby sighed. "No." She picked up a wine glass that was on the table—one of the ones available for attendees—and poured wine from one of the casks. "No answer." She took a sip.

"Not sure what we're supposed to do now." Yang sighed and leaned against the table. "You know what? I'm gonna call Qrow, see if Jaune and the others found anything." She took out her scroll from the left pocket of her yellow and black knee-length dress and dialed her uncle's number. It rang, rang, and rang, until the call went to voicemail. No answer. "Strange, Qrow's not picking up either."

Ruby's brow furrowed. She took out her scroll from the pocket of her white knee-length dress. "I'm gonna call Jaune." She dialed his number. A moment passed, then another, then another but no answer. "He's not picking up either."

"Something's up. Either they're in a spot where they can't talk, or…" Yang said as she pocketed her scroll. She walked away from the table, trying to find one of the others. Yang looked over at Blake who had been conversing with a woman wearing a black dress—Adam and Sun stood to the side, both of them near the wall—she waved to them as she walked over to Blake. "Hey, did Qrow talk to you recently, by chance?" Ilia was standing beside Blake as she turned to acknowledge Yang's approach.

"No, not since we talked last time," Blake said, as she lowered the glass of wine in her hand. "Why?"

"Something's up. Winter's not answering her scroll, neither is Qrow or Jaune's team," Yang said. She looked at the woman who seemed to be interested. "I'll talk to you in a bit."

"O-okay," Blake said.

Yang walked over to Cinder in a rush who was with Mercury out near the left staircase. "Has Emerald messaged either of you recently?" She asked.

"No, why?" Cinder said.

"Winter's not answering, Qrow's not answering, and neither is Jaune," She said.

Cinder's brow furrowed. "Mercury."

He took out his scroll and dialed Emerald's number. Around ten seconds passed. Then fifteen. "Nope. Nothing."

Cinder took out her own scroll from the black handbag she had carried with her, dialing Emerald's number. Twenty seconds passed with two call attempts, neither of them answered. "This isn't good. We need to check up on them."

"Winter's back in Atlas, though right?" Mercury said.

"I'll tell Weiss about Winter, meanwhile see if we can find out where Jaune and the others were last," Yang said.

The both of them nodded as Yang quickly walked over to Weiss, heels clattering over the tiled floor. She received some looks from people who seemed to notice her expression. She turned to look at them as she walked, forced a smile, and slowed her pace. _It's fine, everything's fine. They're fine._ She thought. She reached Weiss, Percival, and Whitley again.

They noticed her arrival. "Yang? Something wrong?" Weiss asked.

"Sorry, gentlemen, but can I borrow her for a second?" Yang asked.

"Sure thing!" The tall man said, the other nodded.

She pulled Weiss aside away from the others, including Percival and Whitley.

"Yang, what's wrong?" Weiss asked calmly.

"We can't get a hold of Winter. Thought I should let you know. She was supposed to report back to Atlas, and Ruby's been trying to contact her to inform her of what we've found on Watts, but she hasn't answered nor returned any of her calls for the last two days."

Weiss' face scrunched up, but slightly. "Oh…That's…hold on!" She took out her scroll, clearly dialing her sister's number. She called three times, no answer. Her mouth widened a bit. She rushed back over to where Percival and Whitley was. "Excuse me gentlemen, but may I speak to my bodyguard and brother in private?"

"Uhm, certainly, Miss Schnee! Is something the matter?" The short man said.

"Yes, but not to worry! I've got it under control," Weiss said, smiling. The two gentlemen walked off, concerned expressions on their faces.

"Ms. Schnee, what happened?" Percival said.

"Something's happened to Winter. She hasn't been picking up her scroll for two days apparently, and I can't get a hold of her either. It's not like her. Especially not now with what's going on," Weiss said.

"That _is_ unlike her," Whitley said, concerned.

Cinder, Ruby, and Mercury walked up to them. "Anything?" Yang asked.

"Not a thing," Mercury said.

"Yang?" Weiss asked.

"Qrow, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Emerald are also not answering their scrolls," Ruby said.

Weiss looked shocked. Her expression shifted to one stern and in control. "Percy."

"Yes, Ms. Schnee?" Percival said.

"Your security background…" She said, not even turning to look at him.

"Say no more. I'll make a few calls, though I can't promise anything. I'll focus on Winter, but I'll contact any of you should I happen to come across anything," He said.

"I'll give you all the information you need," Weiss said.

"Of course, Ms. Schnee," He said.

"I'll contact Oscar to see if he knows anything about them and where they went," Ruby said. She dialed Oscar's number, and thankfully, he responded rather quickly. "Hey Oscar, has Qrow, Jaune, or the others with them talked to you at all recently?" There was a pause. "No? I thought so. Do you know where they were last headed? Uh huh. Got it. I'll tell you everything later, bye!" She hung up. "They were last headed down south, far south from Mistral. Oscar said they contacted him a few days back about a lead in that direction. They haven't contacted him since."

"How far?" Cinder asked.

"Near the coast," Ruby said.

"There we have it. We should leave immediately," Cinder said.

"I'll go say goodbye to the others really quick, I'll stop by the apartment and meet you there before we head off," Yang said. "Ruby, let's go!" She rushed over to Blake. "Hey, something's come up. We're leaving to head down south to go after Qrow and the others. Keep me posted!"

"Oh okay. Be careful!" Blake said.

"Of course," Yang smiled. She walked toward the exit, Ruby following closely behind.

* * *

Yang tossed the dress on top of the disheveled bed. She kneeled down to tighten the laces on her boots, secured her gauntlets tighter, and cracked her neck from side to side. "Here's hoping we get some action."

"I hope they're all alright," Ruby said. She wore a worried expression.

"They're fine," She said. "If they're in trouble, then we rescue them. Come on, let's go."

Ruby nodded, and the both of them walked from out of the hotel room, being greeted by Mercury and Cinder. Mercury had his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall directly on the other side of the door, with Cinder right next to him, fist on her hip.

"You two ready? We don't have time to make a long trip, so I hope Ghira is willing to give us a quick ride down south," Cinder said.

"Yup. I'm sure it's fine. No way he'll let us down considering why we're going south," Yang said as she stretched her arms and legs.

"Well then, let's get going," Mercury said as he propped himself off the wall.

They walked out of the apartment, took a quick ride over to the academy and at the quick request from Yang and Ruby, managed to secure an airship to fly them over to the southern coast of Anima, directly south of Mistral. As the ship flew them to that area, Yang noticed a storm cloud in the distance. The pilot noted that the area just so happened to have an unmarked fortification of some sort and for the sake of safety, had to land them quite a ways away. The pilot landed the ship, and they got out. "I'll be here waiting for your return, take your time!" She shouted, both hands cupped to the sides of her mouth.

"No worries! We'll try to be quick!" Yang yelled as they were already quite a few feet away. They walked into a jungle, most of it covering the southern area aside from the coast itself based on the view she had while in the airship. As they walked through the brushes, branches, trees, and vines of the jungle, she swatted herself several times, scratched herself here and there, and fought off branches and large elephant-ear like leaves from hitting her face as they sloshed through muck and humid foliage.

All of them picked up their pace; they jumped over large branches, ducked under even larger branches. They stormed through an open area of the jungle, that was shadowed by the jungle canopy. She could see the unmarked fort off in the distance through an opening in the trees far in the front of her. It was enormous. It had three large spires protruding from the ground that seemed to be set in a triangle—one to the far left of the fort, another to the far right, and one to the far back of the fort, all symmetrically placed. The fort itself from where they were didn't seem to be of similar design or color palette like the base she had infiltrated with Jaune and the others, though she couldn't make out any details.

They stopped at the jungle edge, out over a cliff covered by trees and vines, obscuring them from anyone who might have happen to look in their direction from afar. The base was still quite a ways away and she noticed that there was only one feasible way into the base and that was through the front. Yang looked up at the storm clouds which permeated across the sky above the fort. "So, what's the plan?" She said as she crouched down.

"We charge right inside," Cinder said.

Yang nodded. "No way around that to be honest." Her heart rate jumped. She started trembling with excitement. She tried to hold back a smile, not feeling that it was appropriate for the moment. _Time to cut loose_ , she thought. "Come on," She said, turning around and bolting toward the path to her left which sloped downward and curved around down to another opening that had been lit by the moonlight. The others close behind, she picked up her pace and rushed from out of the jungle and charged directly toward the base which seemed to be well over a mile away.

As she rushed toward it, two figures in the distance became increasingly visible. She stopped in her tracks, the others stopped as well. Both of the figures were armored in dark gray and blue armor which covered their torsos and feet, up to their knees. She could tell based on the hips that at least one of them was a woman. Neither of them armed. The two figures stopped in front of them. "And who are you two?" Yang said.

Silence. One of them—the one with the feminine figure—took a slow step forward, a step dripping with intent. That intent became clear as she blazed forward with a trail of flame left in her wake. The four of them jumped out of the way; upon landing, the woman's feet released a shockwave of flame that swirled outward and upward into the air. Yang put up her guard. _What was that?_ She thought quickly as she launched herself forward with two blasts from her gauntlets; she swirled into a spinning kick at the woman's head—she ducked as she threw a lightning-infused punch at Yang's chest.

Yang swerved to the side and jumped backward as Cinder flew in—a funnel of flame trailing behind her—as she clashed with the woman, dual crystalline longswords in her hands. Yang looked to her left and noticed that both Ruby and Mercury had engaged the second one. She looked back forward and watched Cinder clash with the woman, and the moment Yang saw an opening she unleashed five blasts at the woman and charged at her. The woman dodged each blast but took a hit from Cinder and flew backward. Yang capitalized on the hit and slid roughly in a curve around to the woman's backside, spun around—and using the built-up momentum—landed a crushing kick onto the woman's back.

She heard a crunch and a brutal cry from the woman upon impact—an explosion of fire and lightning blew outward from her body like a punctured can of shaken soda as she was launched in the opposite direction. She spun and recovered midair, landing on her feet and quickly regained her bearings.

A familiar voice grunted loudly. "Mercury!" Ruby yelled. Yang looked over to them, to find Mercury having been launched backward—aura depleted—by the other fighter. She looked back to the feminine fighter as Cinder flew at her again. The fighter ducked and swung her right arm in a wide, diagonal sweeping motion, releasing a wave of flame, which coalesced and hardened into a thick wall of red-orange crystal as Cinder landed on the other side. Yang readied herself for a charge, throwing both her arms back as the crystals started to glow. Cinder jumped backward as the crystalline wall exploded—the explosion engulfing Cinder despite her speed. She came out the other side, landing on her feet as her aura flickered.

Yang fired off both gauntlets and flew right through the smoke of the explosion, covering her frontside with her arms in a cross, guarding herself from any possible attack. As she landed on the other side of the smoke, the woman was standing guarded in front of her, not attacking, seemingly waiting for Yang to make her move. Yang strafed slowly to the side, arms up and fists clenched. She smiled. _They're tough. Just what we needed,_ she thought.

Yang lunged at the woman with a flying roundhouse kick as the woman ducked out of the way. Yang then corrected her movement with a blast from her gauntlets and threw a punch downward at the woman's head and as she did, corrected her movement again to her left in anticipation of the woman's dodge. _Crunch,_ a loud cracking sound burst outward as Yang landed a hit with a sudden kick to the side of the armored woman's head who—just as she thought she would—dodged her punch. Red and yellow liquid spewed out from the helmet and ceased almost the instant it did.

Even more red and yellow liquid poured down from the cracks in the helmet. _What is that?_ She thought. "Hey Cinder! Help Ruby get that other one!" She yelled as she turned her head toward Cinder. "I've got this one!"

Cinder nodded and flew off toward the second one. Yang looked back at the woman and returned to her fighting stance. She smiled again. "Come on, you've got to be better than that! Give me your best shot!" The woman answered Yang's taunt with a white-gray swirl of mist trailing out from her feet as she flew at her at a blistering speed. The wind was knocked out of her thanks to the flaming gut punch. She flipped backward and landed on her feet and simply grinned. Now having taken a hit, she intended to return the favor. "Quite the powerful punch you've got there!" She got back into a fighting stance. "Now let me throw it right back at cha!" Nothing.

 _Well this isn't good_ , she thought. She tried to force it out again but nothing. It was just like back at the warehouse with the faunus wielding the bow. Her semblance wasn't kicking in. The woman stood there waiting. Was she wondering what Yang was going to do? Big mistake if she was. _Now if only my semblance would kick in,_ she thought anxiously. She maintained her grin though it was now a fake one as she could hear the clashes from the others fighting. She stared the woman down who just stood there—clearly ready to attempt to take on anything she threw at her.

 _Guess we do this the hard way, then!_ She thought as she bolted forward—again attempting to predict the woman's movements—as she threw a punch that accompanied her charge's form. The woman ducked out of the way—and as she did—Yang threw a spinning kick in the direction of her dodge, though the woman ducked this time, yet Yang had expected that as well as she brought up her fist and slammed it into the ground as she fired off a blast from her gauntlet the instant it impacted, unleashing a massive explosion which knocked the woman backward.

The instant she did, Yang was literally above her—having charged forward—as she brought down her other fist into the woman's gut, firing off another blast the moment it impacted, launching the woman into the ground forming a crater. Red, yellow, and now a white liquid was spewing out from under her like blood. She wasn't moving. Yang walked over her and looked down at the woman, who didn't seem to respond to her looming presence. "Are you done?" She asked, receiving no response—either verbally or physically—from the woman. The liquid began to solidify into crystal as the woman's form began to… _shrivel?_ The armor and clothing sank as more liquid spewed out and turned into crystal. Yang's jaw gaped, and her eyes widened.

An explosion came from the distance which followed a yell which sounded like Cinder. Yang leaped from out of the crater in the direction from where the yell came as she noticed the fighter heavily battered—evident from the dripping green and blue liquid pouring from almost every major crevasse—with Cinder carried under their arm like a log as they leaped forward and glided away, leaving behind only a trail of white-gray mist.

Yang rushed up to Ruby. "What happened?"

Ruby looked at her, over at the crater, and then back to Yang. "Cinder was open, and they took the chance to knock her out. Whoeve— _whatever_ that was, was clearly focusing on Cinder. They did something which weakened her! I think they may have come looking for her!"

Mercury got up from the ground having regained consciousness. "You think Jaune and the others encountered these two?" Yang said as she kept her gaze on Mercury while walking toward him.

"Don't think so. Unless they split up. No way they would have been captured by those two if they were together," Ruby said.

Mercury shook his head and grunted. "What happened?" He regained his bearings, finally standing on his feet.

"One of them is apparently dead, but the other got the jump on Cinder and escaped in the direction of the fortress. I wanted to go after her, but not alone. There's no telling if there's more of them in that direction," Ruby said as she put away Full Rose.

"What?" Mercury yelled. "We have to go after them! We can't leave Cinder behind!"

"Calm down, Merc. We'll go after her. Though I think we might need a plan before we go rushing in, as much as I hate saying that," Yang said.

"Screw the plan!" Mercury yelled. "Those things were using dust, Yang, in ways I've never seen before. Like it was a part of them! What does that sound like?"

Yang face palmed. She felt like an idiot.

"Whatever those things were, chances are they were after Cinder for her powers, just like she said! If we don't hurry, Alexis will have the Fall Maiden on their side!" Mercury yelled. He turned around and faced the direction of the fortress and walked— _limped_ a bit toward the fortress.

"Alright. Then we rush in," Yang said, smiling. She punched her fist into her palm. "Ready for a challenge, Ruby!" _This isn't gonna be easy,_ she thought. The adrenaline in her body was still pumping throughout the entirety of it and was only increasing.

Ruby nodded, expression serious. The both of them rushed after Mercury, who's limp got better until it returned to a normal walk, and then turned into a run, and then a sprint as the three of them charged down the slope of the roadway toward the large, looming, triple-spired fortress. The waves of the ocean crashing into the rocks below, the storm clouds discharging lightning, and after a split second, the sound of crashing thunder rang through their ears.

Yang and Ruby ran beside Mercury who was running rather slow due to his still regenerating Aura. "How's your aura, Merc?" Yang asked.

"It's fine. It should be back to full by the time we reach the base, don't worry about me!" He said, frustration in his voice.

"We'll save her. Emerald too, don't worry. We bust in there, take down anyone standing in our way, and get out!" Yang said, giving him a cocksure grin.

He turned to look at her as they kept running. The stress in his face dissipated and changed back into that characteristic smirk of his. "Thought you weren't supposed to be reckless." He said as he looked forward.

"Yeah well, that wasn't working. I work better this way," She said.

His pace quickened— _gradually_ —but it slowly started picking up until they ran for around thirty minutes. As they kept running, she could tell his aura had completely regenerated. They went into a full-charged sprint now. The looming fortress getting closer, _much_ closer as its size became abundantly clear. It was enormous. The walls looked like they could reach the clouds, though she could tell even from where she was that it had simply been an optical illusion.

They began to see the large double-doored blackened metal gates. They continued to sprint, taking advantage of the downward slope of the land to quicken their pace. They jumped over logs, veered passed rocks, and leaped over small hills on their way toward the fortress. After what seemed to be five minutes of non-stop running, they finally reached their destination. Surprisingly, it wasn't remotely defended from the outside. No cannons, no guards, nothing. The only thing that stood before them were the large double gates barring their path—it's large fiery-orange on black colors and spikes being the only thing between them and their friends.

Yang walked up to the gates and pushed, the other two helped out, giving it their all to try and force open the gate. After about a minute of pushing, they managed to make it budge, slowly forcing it open, just wide enough for them to slip through. They rushed inside and rushed behind some cover, behind the overhang of the gates themselves just slightly passed them as she scanned the inside of the fortress. There were tanks off to her left that didn't seem to be of Atlesian design. To her right were modified paladins, though they had a much different color scheme—being gray and blue—just like the armored fighters from earlier. Directly in front of them, was a clear path, a walkway made of metal that led to another set of gates though they were much smaller. She didn't see anyone.

"What is this place?" Ruby said, standing beside Yang. "There's no one here, no guards, or anything."

"Where do you think the others are?" Mercury asked.

"No clue, but those doors over there are practically inviting us in," Yang said. "Ready?" She asked.

Both Ruby and Mercury nodded, their expressions serious. Yang took a deep breath. "On you Ruby."

Ruby rushed passed the overhang directly toward the doors and flew into it as a swirling red bullet, bursting right through it, as both Yang and Mercury followed closely behind. Once they reached passed the second set of gates, they stopped again, ready to fight whatever came their way, but just like before, no one was around. The place they were in now was an open room with three doorways, each marked as having led to a different part of the fortress. Yang noted the one on the left having been marked by a sign that read _Lower Laboratory_ with an arrow pointing to the right, and below that it read _Upper Laboratory_ with an arrow point to the left.

"So which way?" Mercury asked. "Wanna check the Patient Grounds?" He asked.

Yang looked over at Mercury and at the sign to the right of where they were. The sign read _Patient Grounds_ with an arrow to the left, and _Storage Facility_ with an arrow to the right. She looked at the other doorway and sign and noted that it didn't reference anything that might have something to do with prisoners. "Yeah, sounds like a good way to go. Ruby?"

"Can't think of anywhere else they'd might be if not there," Ruby said.

The three of them walked through the door into a corridor which had only two paths as the sign implied. They bolted down the corridor, quickly reaching the end of it only to find a door to their left which was marked with a sign signifying that they had arrived at the right place. They walked inside. Within, was a large room that was a wide-open, glorified waiting room like something straight out of a hospital. It had clean white tiling, and a beige colored wall. It was completely different in feel than the rest of the base, though she could immediately tell why. She assumed the others could as well.

Strewn throughout the walls, on the counters, and even on the television—which had been on—all displayed different messages. Some posters on the wall mentioned how a company called Medidust Industries could cure their ailments. They offered treatments and cures on cancer, chronic pain, depression, and a whole host of other things.

"Well, I wonder what they could be doing here," Mercury said. "Only one reason why you'd have a hospital here with all this garbage laying around."

"You watch too many movies," Ruby said. "Though I agree with you."

Yang walked up to the receptionist's desk and picked up a pamphlet and clenched her fist. It talked about how this same company could cure people of dismembered limbs. No surgeries, no pain, no lingering effects, no prosthetics—they gleefully promised to restore a person's original lost body parts!

"Hey—Yang, Ruby—over here," Mercury said.

Yang turned around and dropped the pamphlet. Ruby joined her as they walked up beside Mercury who was gazing at a large map on the other side of the room. He pointed to where they were and then moved his finger over further right to what seemed like the right spire. "See that?" He said. "It goes deep underground. Map says at least twelve floors deep. According to this, the only way down there is through the spire and the only way to the spire is from here. You thinkin what I'm thinkin?"

"Good place to start," Yang said. "Let's hurry!" She rushed out the other side of the door and arrived in another corridor which led all the way to a single door on the other end. She ran down the hallway with Ruby and Mercury running behind her. A few short seconds of sprinting had them arriving at the door in short order and they spared no time busting through the door where they arrived on a large, long, wide-open bridge with plenty of room to maneuver and where—

Foots steps clanged on the metal grating of the bridge. Yang stopped in her tracks and so did the others. Her brow furrowed, her teeth clenched, and her fists balled up tightly, as tightly as she could force them.

"Crap!" Mercury said as he slowly backed up. The steps kept inching closer, though they were still rather far away. She could hear Ruby withdrawing Full Rose and from the corner of her eye, she could tell she immediately transformed it into the Grimm Reaper.

"I was wondering who had broken into the base, and my curiosity has been well rewarded," Said the familiar voice filtered through the visage of the reversed-horned helmet.

Yang let out a stuttered breath. "Owain." She forcefully withdrew her gauntlets. "What are you doing here?" She yelled. "Where's Qrow, Jaune, Cinder?" She yelled again.

"I have no clue. I arrived recently," Owain sighed. "I was curious as to what this little fortress was and came to sate my curiosity and found it filled to the brim with personnel, though for some reason they all fled upon my arrival." He took a deep breath. "Or is fled even the right word?" He said lazily as he looked up to the sky and to the side as he stopped in his tracks. "Seems like this place is full of weak-willed cowards," He said in a low growl. A barely visible, red aura seeped out from beneath his feet.

She could feel her feet slowly inching backward against her will. Her arms were shaking, sweat poured down the right side of her face. _What's happening?_ She thought. She didn't think she'd feel this way upon seeing him again. _Weren't you going to get some payback?_ She thought. But this feeling…it wasn't natural, and it wasn't there before! What was that?

"Regardless!" Owain said as he returned his gaze to the three of them, causing them to quiver backward.

"You feel that?" Mercury said.

"Yeah," Ruby replied.

"I'm curious. Have you grown stronger since our last meeting?" Owain said.

Yang didn't answer.

"Your name is…Yang, correct? What is the rest of it? If you don't mind me asking," He said.

She paused. Another moment passed as she tried to grip her fists tighter. _Calm down,_ she thought. "It's Xiao Long. Yang Xiao Long."

"Yang Xiao Long? Beautiful name! May I call you Dragon?" He said as he began to walk again.

For an instant, she felt the sensation disappear. "Oh, don't you _dare_ give me a pet name!" She charged forward at him.

"Yang wait!" Ruby said.

She threw a punch at his chest; he caught it with his right hand. "Your rage is quiet," He said in a low lazy tone. She tried to force her fist in further, trying to overpower him, but he was like a wall, an impenetrable wall. He wasn't even struggling. He leaned in, as if to whisper something. "You're afraid, aren't you? Why don't I raise the stakes then? Drown you in despair— _no_ , wrath!" He said in a growl.

She tried harder, pushed harder, she tried to muster all of her strength, but now she was in his grip as he closed his hand around her fist, preventing her from pulling it out. _Come on!_ She thought, trying even harder to pull out her fist. She raised her other fist, ready to throw another punch.

He pulled his head back. "Still so weak. A challenge, then! Consider it a gift from yours truly. I want to see how you manage," He said.

"What?" She said, straining. Her vision suddenly blurred, her ears ringed, and she became winded—unable to breath. His other fist had impacted her gut. She fell to her knees, aura depleted. She collapsed onto the ground.

And just like that, suddenly, as if a second just passed she yanked herself upward to a sitting position. She was on a bed? She looked around. Bars, bars that were covered with white curtains which surrounded the cell from the inside. She was alone. She felt sick, groggy, and couldn't think straight.

There was a muffled sound coming from the next cell over. It sounded like sobbing. "Hello?" She said.

The sobbing stopped. She heard sniffling. "Hello? Who's there?" She said again.

There was another sniffle. "You got caught too?" A familiar voice said.

"Cinder?" She jumped off the bed and rushed over to the cell bars and opened the curtains. "Cinder, what happened?" She looked inside the other cell. Cinder's cell had its curtains open and she saw Cinder sitting on the bed, huddled up in the corner with her knees held up to her chest—her arms hugging her legs as she kept her head buried within them. Her clothes were torn in places, and she had a few scars on her right arm.

She assumed the worst. She grabbed the bars. "They…they took your powers, didn't they?" Cinder buried her head tighter into her knees; she didn't respond. Yang sighed. _They took them that quickly?_ She was shocked. She never thought she'd feel that way, but…She simply stared at Cinder, unsure of what to say or do. _I've never seen her like this before. Did her powers really mean that much to her?_ She paused for another moment before she let go of the bars and scanned her cell. What was she supposed to do now? Her gauntlets were missing, her scroll was missing. Sooner or later, her mom would realize something was wrong and would come looking for her, or Qrow for that matter. Considering Owain and how powerful he was…She shook her head. She had to find a way out! She had to know what happened to Ruby! And the others!

 _Owain…_ She tried to force him out of her thoughts. He didn't matter, not right now. She felt a twinge of guilt again. Her pride had been hurt once more. She didn't stand a chance. _One thing at a time,_ she thought. _You haven't exactly gotten stronger, of course you lost! First things first_ , _I need to get out of here and find Ruby…_


	8. Yang's Arc Chapter 6

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 6 – Escape**

* * *

 _Twenty years ago…_

Cinder snuck through the quiet corridor. Every step she took let out a _creak_ that she tried to time with the thunder and howling wind from the raging storm outside. She reached Ana's room as she tensed up and trembled. _Just a few more steps!_ She thought as she forced herself to take a few more steps. _Finally!_ Her trembling stopped, and her heart rate slowed as she slid open the door to the study, just enough for her to squeeze through as she then slid the door shut. She sauntered over to the book shelf and took the book she marked last time and crouched down under the desk and pulled out the candle she stole from the merchant earlier in the day and lit it with a match she also stole.

 _Fairy Tales of Remnant,_ she read silently. She flipped to the bookmarked page from when she read this last time. She read the title on the page. _The Four Seasons_ , it read. Every day she read a little deeper into the book. She read through the tale of the two brothers, the tale of the four warriors, the girl in the tower, and there were still so many more!

She read from the top of the page. It talked about a wizard who lived alone, shut out from the world. It mentioned how one day he was visited—one by one—by four traveling sisters who each taught him what the world had to offer. The story fascinated her, more than any of the others as after what felt like a few short, yet sweet seconds, the story ended. She turned back the page to the start of the story and read it again, and again. _Ms. Vest will probably come in here soon…_ she thought. She closed the book, smiled, and hugged it.

She stood up and put the book back, extinguishing the candle light, and snuck off back to her room.

* * *

Yang paced back and forth with her arms crossed. _Okay, how do I get out of here?_ She thought. Where was Ruby? Where were the others for that matter? She turned to face Cinder's cell. Cinder was sleeping on her bed. She's been quiet for the last several hours. _Should I try and talk to her?_ _Seems like she could use some hel—_ her train of thought was cut off from the sound of steps across the tiled floor of the prison. She looked over to her right—outside her cell—and noticed an old man—who looked strong for his age—walk up to her cell. He wore a white lab coat—suit, and tie underneath. He had gray hair and a bushy gray beard. Beside him, two of the same dark gray and blue armored fighters from earlier, though both of these were taller and wore more armor.

The old man clasped his hands and beamed. "Yang Xiao Long?"

"Who's asking?" She said, arms still crossed. She assumed the dude was of high rank. Perhaps she could get something out of him. She didn't want to attempt a break out just yet, especially around those armored folk.

"It's good to meet you! Don't be alarmed, you will not come to harm!" He said.

"Really? Great! Let me out of here, then!" She said.

"Of course, of course! Though if I may, would you stick around? There are things I wish to show you!" He said.

Her eyes widened. _Well then, that was easy!_ She thought. The old man nodded at one of the armored fighters who then walked up to her cell and unlocked it with a key from the satchel on their right hip. _Guess I should stick around to find out more about this place, and until I find the others,_ she thought. "Do you mind handing over my scroll? And my gauntlets?" She said.

"Of course! But, I'll have to insist that we return them to you _only_ when you are ready to leave. Security reasons, you understand." He said.

 _Of course,_ that _wasn't gonna be so easy._ "Right. Makes sense." She walked from out of her cell as the old scientist turned around and walked down a hallway with his hands clasped behind his back, as the two fighters walked beside him.

"Do you two mind?" He said. The two fighters walked in separate directions, down two different hallways on opposite sides of the room. "Don't mind them. Come!" He said.

"So do you have a name? And where are we going?" She asked, letting her arms fall to her side.

"My name is Henry Malbec. I'm an Atlesian scientist, though I've become independent these last few years. Thanks to you and your team, working within a military to save the world has become less of a viable career path," He said.

"You're not upset about that are you?" _An Atlesian scientist who has those things working for him, eh?_

He laughed. "Oh no, of course not! Why I'm thankful actually! You see, working within the military may seem like a glamorous position, but it was quite rife with tedium and ineffectiveness."

The hallway they walked through was rather long. As he spoke, she scanned the walls, it had taken a different scheme from the rest of what she had seen so far. Most of the walls were made of a white-blue marble-like material with metal placed here and there. Circuitry lined the walls, and the crevices of the ground. "Do you know Alexis Ravus?" She asked, still scanning her surroundings. There were windows lined up along both sides of the hallway, each revealing a room on the other side, many of them filled with what seemed to be medical staff.

"Alexis? The dear colonel of the Atlesian military? Well, former colonel I hear. I saw the speech he gave. Apparently, he's now a Mistral citizen, though I think that has more to do with his issues with its governor," Henry said.

 _Issues?_ She thought. "Wait, what do you mean by that?" She asked.

"Ah, I knew that would get your attention! The governor is a cruel, vicious man, and Alexis—being the politician that he is—believes that the governor is a threat to everything he and Mistral stand for," Henry said.

Yang stopped in her tracks. She knew exactly where this was going.

Henry also stopped walking, and then he turned around to face her. "You see, Alexis wants what is best for humanity, and the faunus. Unfortunately, what stands in his way is the monster sitting within the mansion of the former council members of Mistral. However, with your aid, and the aid of team RWBY, we can put a stop to the governor's madness!"

Yang crossed her arms again and shot him a glare. "Funny. From what I've heard, Alexis and the governor were working together. Hell, without Alexis and the New Dawn, Owain doesn't even have an army, right?"

Henry smiled. "Oh, but that's where you are wrong! It was all simply a ploy!"

"A ploy? Really? You can't expect me to believe that," She said.

"No, not so easily, but I'll convince you. Come!" Henry turned around and continued walking down the long hallway.

She followed, her arms fell to her side again.

"You see," Henry said. "When Owain first appeared, he took command of the New Dawn at the behest of the primary benefactor of the organization—Albus. However, shortly after he did, Owain became more of a thorn in Alexis' side than a boon."

"How so?" Yang said.

"Alexis ultimately wishes to unlock the secrets of dust, aura, magic, and the full potential of humanity! However, ever since Owain took control, Alexis' research has been stifled, scientists murdered! Instead, Owain has repurposed the New Dawn into a purely military organization hellbent on conquest! We've attempted to contact Albus, but he has yet to respond."

"So, Alexis is innocent, then?" _This whole thing stinks of crap,_ she thought.

"He has had to work hard to overcome the hardships he had to face. You understand! In the past, Alexis was forced to do evil things, wicked things, all to save the people of Atlas! Now that the world has changed for the better, he has made significant strides in his efforts!"

 _This guy is so full of it. Does he think I'm stupid?_ She thought. She had half the mind to call him out on it, rather than simply imply it through questioning. She held herself back, hoping he would reveal more information. She thought to herself as they kept walking, and he kept talking about the efforts they made in medicine, crime reduction, and job growth. She pondered on what she should ask him, but she couldn't come up with anything that he wouldn't have a crap statement prepared for. Still, she should at least push a little, _just_ a little. "So, if you've made all these advancements, and you even have super soldiers on your side, then why haven't you stopped Owain yet?"

He stopped in his tracks, which made her stop as well. "Not everyone within the New Dawn cares for Alexis' goals. Many of them admire Owain, his strength, his _control_. If we attempted an assassination there's no guarantee that we won't be stopped by those loyal to him."

"You know, I don't think you guys are trying that hard to stop him. He was here not too long ago. He's the only reason why you captured me," Yang said.

He turned around to face her. "And the more he believes that the better. The more he believes we need him, the more he believes we're loyal, the more we can undermine him."

"What do you want us to do about it, if you think he's so influential?" She said.

"You leave that to us. Alexis is working to maneuver the New Dawn into a suitable political position. As time goes on, more and more people will join the New Dawn _because_ of Alexis, _not_ Owain. Which gives us more potential recruits," He said.

"So, do you think you can beat him, if only you had the resources?" Yang said. _This guy is not treating Owain the way Oscar is. Maybe he doesn't know,_ she thought.

"As we are now? Yes, but we'll need your help. We won't be able to completely separate him from his followers. The four of you—team RWBY—managed to overcome an evil that had focused its efforts for thousands of years to destroy humanity. I am _confident_ that with your ingenuity, strength of character, and strength in general—along with our resources, our technology, our understanding—that we can bring down the governor, and free the world of another threat!" He said. He even seemed excited. He turned around and continued his walk down the hallway.

Yang followed as they walked for another minute before they approached two metal doors with a sign placed above it that read, _Templar Testing Facility_. "Templar?" She said.

"It's a project we have been working on for quite some time. We have General Ironwood to thank for it. He funded and oversaw most of the progress this last decade," Henry said as he walked up to some sort of panel to the right of the door and swiped a card.

Yang's eyes narrowed as she followed him through the now open doors. On the other side was a large arena like area with the upper ring of the arena filled with double, metal doors, with danger signs placed above each one.

Henry put his right hand to his ear, over the speaker inside. "Release the T-106 Predator! Test it against some of our grimm captives. Five beringels, five beowolves, and three nevermores will do," He said. He turned around half-way to face her. "Come! Enjoy the show!"

Yang walked up to the ledge that was blocked off by transparent glass, as the aforementioned grimm were released into the large arena. One of the double doors opened, red alarm lights beaming, a voice over the speaker repeated, "Warning! Warning! T-106 Predator has been activated!" Through the now open doors, on the upper left corner of the arena, a large quadrupedal wolf-like machine blurred out with a vicious speed, evaporating three of the beowolves with a pounce.

The two nevermores attacked head-on, the other stood back firing off waves of feathers. The beringels roared and charged along with the two remaining beowolves. The metallic creature pounced again directly on the beowolves in the back, destroying them. With a swipe of its tail it cleaved the beringels in half, and then with an eerie fiery red glow, fired off a cone of fire directly at the swooping nevermores, incinerating them as it steered the flames toward the last remaining nevermore, incinerating it as well. As the black smoke dissipated, the metallic creature let out a deafening roar laced with a synthetic sound.

"Five seconds," Henry remarked, having checked his watch. "A little slow. Still acclimating to the new core, I suppose." He turned to Yang. "So? What do you think? Impressive, isn't it?" He grinned.

 _What is that thing?_ "Yeah. It is," Yang said. _What was that glow?_ She thought.

"The T-100 line are all prototypes, though they've been performing exceptionally," Henry said, as the Predator walked back through the doors it came from. "They were originally unique Paladin models, and they've come a long way."

 _Just prototypes? That's not good,_ she thought. "What was that glow, if you don't mind me asking? Like, how did it generate that kind of power?" She had her thoughts, her suspicions, but she wanted to see how a guy like this would spin it.

"Oh! That! A dust engine. We've developed a new line of dust engines that are incredibly efficient at utilizing dust to its maximum potential! As you can see, it's quite effective!" Henry said.

 _I mean it's possible, it's not like I can deny they've managed to achieve something like that considering the fighters from before, but still,_ she thought. "How many of those things can you produce?" She asked.

"A small number unfortunately. We are still trying to acquire more dust shipments, but so far, the SDC—the _biggest_ supplier of dust mind you—has cut our dust shipments short. You wouldn't mind trying to convince President Schnee to rescind her decision on that when we begin working together, would you?" He said, smiling.

 _When?_ "Sure, it'll be sure to do that," Yang said, giving a fake smile in return. "By the way, since we'll be working together, you wouldn't mind telling me where you're keeping my friends, would you?" _Let's see how you spin this._

"Friends? I don't follow. Ms. Rose is currently staying near the northern part of the facility, but other than that, I wouldn't know who you're talking about," He said, confounded expression on his face.

"You're familiar with Qrow Branwen, right? Pretty famous huntsman," She said, arms crossed.

"Y-yes, of course I am! Why?" He said.

"He came down here some time ago. Went missing. Any idea where he is? He also came with four others," She said, her expression became stern.

"I-I don't kno—hmm," He began to sweat, he put one hand under his elbow while he put the other hand on his chin. "I suppose you could be referring to Owain's other victims. You weren't the only one he knocked unconscious, you know," He said.

 _Owain implied he recently arrived. It's possible he knocked them unconscious, but they're definitely here. And pinning the blame on a guy who is supposedly a monster when you just said they were knocked unconscious rather than killed isn't exactly smart, Mr. Malbec_. She didn't respond. Instead she kept her stern expression on him.

"L-listen, Ms. Xiao Long. How about we reunite you with Ms. Rose and we can discuss our plans together?" He said.

"Take me to my friends first. The one Owain supposedly knocked out. Then we'll talk," She said, standing firm as he began to walk away.

"But Ms. Rose is anxious to see you," He said, as he stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"She can handle herself," She said.

He sighed. "Alright, right this way," He gestured over to the eastern side of the arena, where another large set of double doors were. He walked toward it.

"Thank you," She said. _Hopefully he doesn't do anything._ She just remembered she didn't have her gauntlets, though she should still be able to manage.

* * *

Ruby sat there calmly in the chair inside of the room surrounded by robots. _For people who claim to want us to help, they're awfully insecure around us,_ Morgan thought. _Yeah, what are they afraid of?_ Ruby thought. She scanned the room. _Have you noticed any clues on where the others might be?_ Ruby thought to Morgan. _No, except in the previous room back from where we came. I noticed a path down the hallway there that was heavily guarded, though I only managed to figure that out based on all the cameras and well-hid turrets on the ceiling,_ Morgan responded. _Great. Are you ready?_ Ruby asked. _Are you sure?_ Morgan asked.

In another circumstance, she would have given it some thought, but any group that would kidnap her friends was not a group worth listening to. _Indeed,_ Morgan thought. _We'll need our weapon first,_ Morgan said. _Right,_ Ruby responded as she looked over to the other side of the room where a dark gray row of lockers was. One of them had Full Rose in it, and probably the others' weapons as well. She couldn't carry them all, so she would have to take Full Rose only.

She got up. The robots reacted. "Please, sit down Ruby Rose," one of them said. She blurred past them with her semblance, using the resulting wind to knock them back. Some of their weapons flew into the air as she jumped up and grabbed one of them, landing on the ground and fired it into the crowd of robots which had opened fire. She dodged the spray of bullets with her semblance while continuing to fire. Each bullet missing her but hitting the others. In short order, the last robot fell to the ground, electricity crackling out from the entry wound of the bullet. She threw the weapon down and grabbed another one of the rifles and fired it into each of the locks, checking each locker one by one until she found Full Rose. Just as she suspected, each locker contained the weapons of her friends, and Yang.

 _Now to find the others,_ she thought. _Let me get in a little exercise for a bit, Ruby,_ Morgan said. _Alright,_ Ruby said. A familiar shift came as she felt herself lose control. As if to comfort Ruby that it was her and not something else, Morgan looked over at a reflecting surface to reveal her now golden eyes.

* * *

 _12 years ago…_

"But!" Cinder said aloud.

"Enough!" The professor said. "Ms. Vest tells me you failed to follow the orders of your commanding huntsman, and you insisted on pursuing a line of action that put your comrades in danger!"

"I did it, because it would've helped innocent people! Besides, there were grimm in the area, ready to attack! Was I supposed to let them kill people?" She yelled.

"You have had quite the rebellious streak ever since you've joined, young lady! You were to follow the orders of your commanding huntsman, _not_ take actions into your own hands! I understand Mr. Vest took you in, however it's a shame he couldn't instill within you proper behavior before he passed!" The professor said.

Her blood began to boil. "Excuse me?" She yelled. "You're going to hold that over me! I didn't ask to be rescued, and I didn't ask to be treated like garbage by that bitch of a sister, and I'm not going to sit here and listen to you question my decisions, when I _know_ what I did was right!" She stormed off.

"Cinder! Don't you walk away! Headmaster Lionheart will hear about this, you know! You can't do whatever you please!"

* * *

Raven flapped her wings and perched atop the scaffolding of the meeting quarters of the governor's mansion. The window was open, so her presence shouldn't alarm Alexis who was sitting down at a small table near the left window from the entrance—files and papers strewn throughout. He flipped through some of the papers, letting his gray-haired head rest on his left hand. A knock came at the door. "Yes? Come in," He said.

A tall elderly man wearing a white and gold suit—evocative of the New Dawn's colors—walked in. "The governor has returned, sir."

Alexis perked up, though his brow furrowed. "Returned? He went somewhere?"

"Yes, though I cannot say where," He said. The man was pushed aside by Anastasia who skipped in, excited about something.

"Hey, hey, Ravus! Guess what?" Anastasia said.

"What is it?" He said.

"Your scientists managed to take the Fall Maiden's powers!" She said, clearly ecstatic.

 _That isn't good,_ Raven thought.

"My scientists?" He said.

Raven felt a chill go down her feathery spine, as the familiar visage of the governor walked passed the elderly gentlemen who had made way for him.

"I visited the reconstituted facility down south, my dear colonel! And what do I find there, but your underlings hard at work at building our forces! I should congratulate you for a job well done, though I don't know what you intend to do with the girl's power," Owain said.

"They were going to give it to _me,_ remember?" Anastasia said happily.

"Really? Tell me about these girls again? They can wield magic, but is there anything else?" Owain asked.

"Each of them can open one of the vaults of the four relics," Alexis said flatly.

There was a pause. "Can they, now?" He said. "Specify."

"The Winter Maiden for the vault to Gift of Creation, the Spring Maiden for the vault to the Gift of Knowledge, the Summer Maiden for the vault to the Gift of Destruction, and the Fall Maiden for the vault to the Gift of Choice," Alexis said.

"That shouldn't be possible," Owain said under his breath. "Could it be different here? Did the relics never…" he cut himself off. "Who were they again? I recall Raven…Branwen? Being one of them."

"Yes, Raven _Branwen_ , is the Spring Maiden. Cinder, as Vest mentioned earlier is— _was_ the Fall Maiden." Alexis said.

"And as was told to me before, their powers transfer from person to person after death, yes?" Owain said.

"Yes," Alexis said.

"And the recipients are usually found around their respective relics, I take it?" He said.

"I—" Alexis put a finger under his chin as if to think. "Now that you mention it, yes, there is such a pattern. The Fall Maiden's hosts were always around Vale, when Raven became the Spring Maiden she had been around Mistral at the time…My lord, how did you come to such a conclusion, if I may ask? Just curious."

"I had a feeling." He looked up at her. Her instincts flared as she felt an immense urge to fly from out of the building. "What a beautiful coincidence for a raven to be perched up within my chambers at a time when we discuss _Raven_ ," He let out a bit of a laugh as he walked forward toward the window, ignoring her. _Does he know?_ Raven thought to herself.

"Things are becoming interesting…perhaps I can ignore her for now and focus on another hunt," Owain said. _Her?_ Raven thought.

"My lord," Alexis said. "You are after the Gift of Destruction, yes? If we intend to get it, we will need the help of the Summer Maiden. Though you are strong, the vaults are magically protected. They will not open save for the respective maiden themselves."

"No, it'll open for me," Owain said.

"My lord?" Alexis said.

"I can only surmise that the maidens can open the vaults becausethe relics _somehow_ recognize them, though how I do not know nor why they would. They weren't meant to…" Owain said, seemingly to himself. "So strange, yet so interesting."

"My lord, if I may, there is someone with more in-depth information about all this, if you're interested." He stood up from the table.

Owain turned from the window to face him. "And this person is…"

"The one who first told Ironwood about the maidens and the relics and who in turn told me. He went by the name Ozpin back then, though if I do recall he is in the form of a young man named Oscar Pine," He said. "Skinny man, black hair, hazel eyes, carries a cane."

"Ah! The man who recognized me, though I can't imagine how. Fascinating! Do you know where I may find him?" Owain said.

"I do not know, though if you wish I could send a message out to someone who could contact him for you. Set up a meeting if you'd like," Alexis said.

"Do it. Tell the man to meet me within my chambers," Owain said, turning around to face the door. "Oh and Alexis?"

"Yes, my lord?" Alexis said.

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" Owain said, standing firm.

"No, not at the moment. I'll update you on the progress of the research facility. When our army is ready, I'll have them march on your command, of course," Alexis said, sitting back down.

"Indeed, indeed," Owain said, walking out the door, stopping just short of leaving. "Anastasia take some of your forces and harass the Atlesian post to the northwest. If you can manage to destroy or conquer the place in its entirety, then feel free to do so."

 _Argus?_

Alexis tightened his fist and forcefully stood up to face the governor. _Interesting little detail,_ Raven thought. "My lord, what is the purpose of such an attack, if I may ask? Goading the Atlesians to become more hostile toward us will only make things more difficult for us."

"I'm well aware of that," Owain said flatly as he walked out of the room, the elderly gentleman shutting the door after him.

"Alexis?" Anastasia said. "What about the maiden's power? When will you transfer it to me?"

Alexis turned his head toward her. "I'll call you personally when we stabilize the crystal it's being held in. Ensure that the power goes to you and no one else." He sat down again and turned back down to the papers, fiddling with them again, though Raven couldn't make out what was written on them.

Anastasia jumped with joy, clapping her hands. "Yay! Please hurry!" She skipped toward the door as the gentleman opened it for her.

* * *

Cinder opened her eyes and strained herself up. Her eyes were blurry. As she came to, Ruby stood before her.

"You're weak you know. Let's get out of here," The woman said. The golden eyed woman who—

"Ruby?" No, this wasn't Ruby. It was the _other_ one. The dark one. Her body still hurt from the extrac—tears welled up in her eyes again.

"They stole your powers, then? And that's all it took to crush you." The other said. "Get up! You're not allowed to wallow in your own misery!"

She felt it. It was small, but it was there. A tiny little speck of rage, of hatred had gotten her to get up off the bed and stand up. _I don't want to rely on anyone anymore…_

* * *

Yang crossed her arms, aggressively tapping her right foot on the ground with her left leg placed over the other. She sat in the meeting room for what felt like well over two hours. Henry had left in a hurry after he had been informed of something urgent by one of the other soldiers in this place that actually seemed like a person and not a robot or dust-tuned. She still needed to find the others, and he practically left her hanging.

She looked her environment over. The place was pretty plain. There were three large, rectangular windows on each side, save for the wall behind her, which was simply a white, marble wall. In front of her was nothing more than a white, and light-blue colored ovular table with similarly colored chairs placed around it. _No cameras, no turrets, nothing…_ she thought. Most likely they didn't see the point of such measures given that this was supposedly underground if what the map showed was correct.

Maybe the dude will come back with other people she could get information from. She could leverage their seeming desperation to get team RWBY on their side by talking to some of the other scientists in this place that might be more willing to talk than Henry was—though if she was being honest—she didn't expect much.

An explosion erupted in the distance with enough force to cause a slight rumbling through the ground. The lights flickered red, an alarm sound went off. She threw herself off the chair and rushed to the window on the right. Soldiers—robots and humans—were storming the large open space outside of the meeting room, and through the hallways.

"Code Red! Alert! Code Red! All military personnel report to the Research Facility, immediately," The voice said over the loud speaker.

 _What was happening? Were they under attack? Was it one of the others?_ Maybe one of them broke out and decided to attack. A group of soldiers broke away from the rest and funneled into where she was.

"Yang Xiao Long! Get on the ground and don't move!" One of them said. All of them pointed their guns at her.

 _So much for our help,_ she thought. She slammed straight into the group stood by the left entrance, most of them thrusted away in all directions by her momentum, save for one that wore the dark-grey and blue armor that she knew now was a sign of a dust-tuned. She ignored it, dodging gunfire from the other group as the dust-tuned trailed her, trying to pin her down. She swerved, ducked, dodged, and parried every attack that came at her while trying to maintain a distance from her and the dust-tuned, though the moment she dispatched the second group of soldiers, another dust-tuned appeared—having hidden itself within the group. It was the same two that accompanied Henry when he first released her.

She backed up toward a wall, ensuring that the both of them were in front of her. They walked toward her, cautiously but confidently. With the soldiers knocked out, she only needed to deal with these two, though she didn't have her gauntlets.

The both of them barreled through the air at her, trails of what she now recognized as wind-dust flowing from out of their feet. She ducked and squeezed through the space between them and pivoted around to face them. They turned around, and the one on the left charged at her with a left punch—she dodged directly under it toward her right—throwing her own punch directly at its chest, launching it backward.

The other one charged with a flying kick, as she grabbed the leg and spun it around and threw it directly at the other one, though it dodged with the one she threw having regained its bearings midflight as it landed on the ground. They both charged her again, as they surrounded her in a pincer maneuver. She ducked a punch, then a kick, pushed aside a backhand, swerved to the side away from a crescent of flame shot out from one of their hands. _Only one way I'm getting through this,_ she thought while parrying a punch, blocking a double set of kicks, and dodging another wave of flame.

One of them slammed its foot on the ground, a mound of crystal erupting from it, shooting upward from under her. She quickly pushed away from it with her feet—now closer to the wall, her sides the only spaces out—as the other one appeared around the mound and unleashed a cone of flame at her, she ducked under it—correctly predicting the first one having blocked her in through the other side. She moved forward under the flames and threw a punch at the second's gut, pushing it backward. She ignored the first one as she forced the second one back with another punch aimed at its head, following it up with a knee to its groin, though it didn't respond the way she thought it would.

Now out in an open space again, she sped around to try and give her more space, now having both of them in her sights. They returned to their combined assault as they empowered their flurry with fire-enhanced dust, each blocked blow feeling considerably more damaging than before. _Come on, don't fail me this time!_ She thought.

One of them punched her in the gut, the other kicked her backward with a brutal kick. _Just a little bit more!_ The first one began pummeling her. A right hook to the face, another gut check, and kick to the groin, and then a direct punch in the face, all before she could react even if she wanted to. _Just a bit more!_ It jumped backward as the other one took its turn with a right and left hook back to back followed by a knee in the gut. The first one moved behind her as they took their turns beating into her. Another right hook from the second, spinning her into the first one's own right hook. _There!_ She unleashed a furious roar and a fist into the second one's face, shattering the helmet and launching it through the wall.

The first one tried to glide away, but she grabbed it by the leg and swung it over her, slamming it into the ground—a sickening crunch ringing through her ears from the impact. With no wasted time, she loomed over it and crashed into its face with a left punch, then a right, then a left, and one final right as she put everything into it. _Sorry about this,_ she thought. She pulled her fist out of its crushed, dust-filled crystalline head—not even recognizable as a person—as the strange liquid she saw earlier oozed from out of its body as it sank, as if simply fading away.

She looked up to notice the other one cautiously gauging her, its face just a shattered visage of mixed dust. She charged it and before it could react, grabbed its neck, and threw it to the ground—repeating the act from earlier—pummeling into it with a series of crushing punches onto its head, though this one struggled more by flailing about and releasing tendrils of flame, ice, and lightning out from its hands. It didn't work as its arms dropped to its sides. It stopped moving and faded away, leaving behind only liquid. Her arm started to tremble. She took a deep breath. _I'm sorry. I don't know what you were, but I get the feeling you used to be a person._ She stood over the body, solemnly. Then…she ran off down the hallway she came from earlier with Henry.

* * *

Cinder followed Ruby down the hallway, lagging behind.

"Will you hurry up?" The Other said.

Cinder lurched back a bit from the Other's command and tried to pick up her pace, yet she struggled to do so. It was hard. It was so _hard_ to move faster. She just wanted to lay down and sleep some more. What was she supposed to do? She was unarmed, tired, and without her powers. The Other wanted to escape this place with those things around? Ridiculous. Then again, it _was_ technically Ruby, even if it was the other one.

Her body ached, _really_ ached. It hurt in a way it never did before. It felt like the pores in her body were on fire and were being cut at the same time. The pain didn't stop, it just kept _nagging_ her, never letting go, just there, latching on to her like a parasite. _You're weak,_ a voice in the back of her mind said. _You're weak for relying on others_.Her pace slowed down. _You've always been weak. Weak during the grimm attack, weak when Mr. Vest saved you, weak when Ana picked on and bullied you._ Her eyes welled up again, though she tried her best to fight back the tears. _You couldn't even do a damn thing without the help of a grimm parasite!_ She stopped running, her legs hurt, the pain flared again as she cringed.

 _What's the point? You're going to rely on Ruby's mercy_ again? _How many times is this?_ "I'll…go my own way, I don't need your help," She forced out the words as firmly as she could.

The Other stopped. "If I could, I would happily let you run off on your own. It would end up with you dying after all, which would be wonderful for me."

Cinder shrunk back at her words.

"But fortunately for you, Ruby won't let me. So pick up the pace or I'll drag you with me!" She yelled as she turned around.

Another twinge of anger sparked within her. Her face scrunched up, however slightly, as she let out a low growl. The Other broke into a sprint, a fast one clearly enhanced by her semblance. Cinder broke into her own sprint. Whatever pride she had left…whatever she had left, whatever pieces she had left she tried to force into this heavy, burning, futile excuse of a sprint.

* * *

Jaune clenched his fist. Ren coughed as he laid against the wall, sat upon the ground beside an unconscious Qrow. _What did they do to you?_ This was his fault. They had come here following a lead, and because of his insistence on following it, they had gotten captured. He couldn't blame his weakness anymore. He'd finally become a fighter Pyrrha would be proud of, so he had no excuse to let anyone down, but that didn't mean a damn thing if his friends died. _Come on Ren! Pull through this!_

"Where's my Hammer?" Nora said, with a low, angry tone he rarely ever heard.

He snapped his head in her direction. _Level-headed, level-headed, come on, you can do this!_ "Nora let's think about this! I'm as angry as you are, but we can't rush into this blindly," He said.

Nora looked at him, hatred in her eyes. She paused, almost glaring at him. She nodded slowly. "I'm counting on you, leader."

Jaune looked over at Emerald. "Mind protecting them?"

Emerald nodded. "When you find an escape and our weapons, hurry back. The faster we get the hell out of here, the better."

Jaune nodded and stood up. "Let's go Nora!" He bolted out of the room, though Nora brushed right past him.

* * *

Blake paced back and forth in the heavy light of the far end of the table, letting out several deep breaths back to back. What was she going to do if things went south? What if he attacked? Right now, this was her only option. She tried this several times before and it never worked. If they couldn't beat him, then they would have to bring him to the table and compromise, and she would just have to try yet again. For some reason, he wanted her to go back to the shadows, whatever that meant. Maybe with Yang's new information—assuming it's accurate—she could find something to latch onto, something to use to get him to reveal something— _anything—_ that might give them an edge. Something that she could leverage to pacify him.

"Relax Blake, it'll be fine," Ilia said, moving her hand across the map placed upon the large table.

No doubt her anxious pacing wasn't helping. She stopped her pacing and took another deep breath. _It's fine. Relax. Everyone is going to be fine,_ she thought. What Yang said bothered her. If it was true, then dealing with Nero was going to be quite a challenge, much more than it already was.

"If Nero shows up, but attacks, then we can just stalemate him, force him to retreat. Homefield advantage, right? If we work him hard enough to deplete his aura, we can get him to leave," Ilia said. "I mean there has to be a limit to his intangibility, right?"

Sun's tail flailed about as he leaned against the wall with his hands behind his head. "That depends. If what Yang said was true, and Nero really is this Huntsman thing, then we're boned, right?"

Adam placed a casual hand on the hilt of his sword. "No one's invincible Sun. Every time we've fought him, we've tried something different. If he does anything, we'll try something else, until we find his weakness." Adam paced, though his was more of a relaxed pacing. "Nero's arrogant. Eventually, he'll slip up, and Huntsman or not, we'll finally put an end to him."

Blake sighed. "Before we decide to assassinate him, I would hope we can reason with him, Adam." _Though so far, that hasn't worked._

He coughed. "Right. I don't think that'll happen, but…yeah, I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Blake smiled at that.

The lights flickered, an electrical short-circuiting sound vibrating in her ears. They stopped.

"You wanted to meet with me?" A familiar voice said.

Blake looked toward the voice, and glared at the mask, and the black-cloaked visage of her now archenemy. "Nero. Glad you could make it," She said, keeping her glare on him.

The others were all on guard. Adam in particular seemed ready to charge.

"Relax, you three. I've come in good faith. I'm curious as to why Blake would invite me here," Nero said.

"Why? Do I have something to worry about? You could have killed me, and them, but you didn't. You're clearly not a bad person, Nero. I invited you here on that basis," Blake said, taking a firm step toward him—blocked only by the table between them.

Nero remained shrouded in the shadows of the entrance to the meeting room. His part being the only dimly lit section. "You really are a lover of peace, aren't you? I'm glad. We have our differences, minor they may be, though I'm glad this isn't one of them…" Nero said, though oddly, he said it in a quieter tone, as if he wasn't speaking to her. "So? What do you propose? No, I don't wish to kill you, but you know we're opposites. So, I'm curious as to what you have to say. You've failed to convince me before."

 _Opposites? Didn't he_ just _say we only have minor differences?_ Blake took a deep breath. "Certain information has recently come to my attention, and I'd like to run it by you since it concerns you. Is that alright with you?"

Nero crossed his arms. "It's perfectly fine. What information are you referring to?"

Blake paused. "Are you the Huntsman?" Her expression shifted to a stern look, a look locked directly onto that mask of his.

Nero tilted his head to the side. "I have huntsman training, if that's what you're referring to. Odd that you would preface that with "the", though."

"So, you're saying you're not familiar with the legend of the four warriors? Four warriors embodying four values that humanity was founded upon? One of them having been a man known only as the Huntsman?" Blake said, as she also crossed her arms, now matching Nero's posture, aside from the tilted head.

"No, I'm not. Sounds rather interesting. Interesting enough apparently, that you would accuse me of being this so-called Huntsman," He said.

"Then do you know about the relics at least?" She couldn't exactly tell if he was lying though she wasn't sure he would lie in the first place. What did he get out of it?

Nero looked up, seemingly in thought. "Yes, I'm aware of them. I've done my research. Little spies of mine tell me one of them is here in Mistral, though I do not know where," He said.

"Spies?" Adam said. He griped the hilt of Wilt and Blush tighter. "Mind telling us where?" He said forcefully.

Blake looked at him. "Adam." _Most likely somewhere in Haven Academy…near mom and dad._

"I can't tell you their identities obviously, but if I were to tell you where they were, what would you do to them?" Nero said.

"Capture them, interrogate them, but we wouldn't _hurt_ them obviously!" Blake said.

"Are you sure about that?" Nero turned to Adam. "Even with him around?"

"Adam's changed. You know that. You know me, and you know I wouldn't allow it," Blake said.

Nero paused. "What did you have in mind? In regard to me coming here, I mean. The peace you seek. What do you have in mind?"

Blake paused, looking down, thinking again. "A truce. You don't attack the White Fang. You don't attack the New Dawn, and you help me help faunus in need. Together, we can do far more than we can apart. Naturally, I'd like to hear why you have such a problem with me, and I hope we can work through that," She said as she looked at him.

Nero stood there, arms still crossed. After a moment, he lowered his head. Another moment passed. "I…" There was a strain to his voice. "Can't do that, Blake. I'm sorry." He said solemnly.

"Why?" Blake yelled. "What's stopping you?"

"I can't say, to be honest. I will say this—and you may consider it an olive branch—my plans—whatever they might be—require your ignorance. That is all I will say."

"And I assume if we try to learn more, you'll oppose us? Oppose me?" Blake said.

"Yes."

"And if I don't, and instead focus on helping the faunus, to strengthen the bonds between humans and faunus, you won't stand in my way anymore?" Blake asked.

He didn't respond. He turned around and walked away.

"That's pretty much a clear answer," Adam said.

Before he could exit the room, Nero turned around. "By the way, who told you about that legend? It sounds fascinating, and I want to actually read or hear the whole thing myself."

 _Should she tell him? If she did it might put the others in danger._

"I won't hurt anyone you love, nor will I put them in any danger, either directly or indirectly," Nero said, and it seemed sincere.

 _There it is again. How did he—_ "Fine. I heard it from Yang, a member of my team. She heard it from a man named Oscar Pine. I'm trusting you Nero, though I know I shouldn't," Blake said.

Nero paused, just looking at her. "Thank you. Farewell, Blake," Nero turned back around, and the lights once again flickered. When they stopped, he was gone.

Blake let out a long sigh. "That went better than I'd hoped."

"Than you'd hoped?" Sun said, incredulously. "What, did you actually think we were gonna die?"

"Honestly? It was a concern," Blake said. "What Yang told me was worrying."

"So, what now?" Ilia said, turning to her.

"Guess we have no choice but to figure out a way to stop Nero." She said. _I_ will _find out why you hate me, Nero. And if you hurt anyone I love..._

* * *

Morgan halted at a door where through the window, she could see Mercury pacing back and forth in a cell with his arms crossed. _I'll let you take over for now, till we get into another fight,_ Morgan thought. _Okay,_ Ruby responded.

A shift occurred. She was in control again. She forced open the door with Steel Stem, a surprised Mercury greeted them.

"Finally! Was wondering when you'd—" Mercury cut himself off as he looked at Cinder.

Ruby looked back and noticed Cinder's expression having become sullen again, her wounds still visible.

Mercury scratched his head as if fed up. "Crap," He snapped. "Get me out of here!"

Ruby nodded and rushed forward to the cell and noted its reinforced nature. _Probably to stop Mercury from escaping. They couldn't remove his vambraces without removing his legs. Strange why they wouldn't do that anyways,_ Morgan thought. _Well, they_ did _want our help. Probably wanted to use our friends as leverage,_ Ruby thought. She fiddled with the cell, trying to see if she could find a way to bust through it if she couldn't just open it somehow. _So, Mercury's our friend now?_ Morgan asked. _Couldn't he be? I mean, he's no longer bad anymore, right? Why couldn't we just be friends?_ Ruby asked. Morgan didn't respond.

"What about the others?" Mercury asked.

"Don't know. We're going to find them as soon as we get you out! Get their weapons too," Ruby said. There didn't seem to be a way to open the cell. Could she break through it though? _Switch with me,_ Morgan said.

She listened, and again lost control. Mercury took a few steps backward, his facial expression indicating that he noticed what happened. Morgan took one step backward and with a vicious swing, spun around and slammed the hammer head into the cage with an aggressive _hah!_ An explosion of force broke apart the cell, sending pieces flying about in all directions. Another shift occurred. Ruby was in control again. "Let's go!" She said.

The three of them stormed out of the prison room as they followed Ruby as she backtracked to the room she was in earlier that had stored all of their weapons. Mercury kept pace with Cinder, periodically looking over to her. Once they arrived, they encountered Jaune and Nora. "Jaune! We found you," Ruby yelled. She had half the mind to hug him.

"Ruby?" Jaune said, clearly surprised. "H-how, why are you here?"

"Well you didn't respond to any of our calls, so we came to look for you. Then we got captured," Ruby said.

"Oh, then Yang is somewhere in here? Is she alright, did they mess with her too?" Jaune said.

"Mess with her? What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"W-well, it's not important right now. Let's—Cinder?" Jaune said. He looked over at her, noticing her wounds, and sullen expression. She had held her upper left arm with her right arm, looking off to the side. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, don't act like you care," She snapped.

Jaune's brow furrowed. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to express some gratitude when someone shows concern."

Cinder looked up at him, surprised. "I-" She looked down sullenly to the side again. "I'm sorry."

Jaune's eyes widened. "That's…what happened to you?"

"Let's just say Emerald's gonna freak," Mercury said, anger on his face.

The both of them got the hint. "Oh…" Jaune said, though his face didn't seem to show any emotion. _Jaune…_ Ruby thought. She expected Morgan to have a remark about him, but she didn't seem to care.

"Let's get our weapons, and head back to the others, and then go find Yang," Nora said as she walked over to the broken locker that displayed Magnhild. Ruby and Jaune nodded as they all picked up whatever weapons they could carry—save for Cinder—and broke into a sprint, though Cinder still lagged behind them although not by much.

 _Cinder…_ Ruby thought.

Ruby and the rest of them—save for Nora who rushed beside Jaune—all followed him to where Qrow, Ren, and Emerald apparently were. They made excellent time as in a short few minutes—though she wasn't exactly keeping time—they had reached the others. "Uncle Qrow!" She rushed over to him, noticing that he was clearly unconscious. A strange white, glowing liquid was dripping from out of his mouth. "What happened?"

"Cinder!" Emerald yelled. "What are you—what's wrong? What happened?"

Cinder didn't respond, instead she simply shrank away, turning around.

Ruby looked at her uncle and tried to check for any injuries. _What did they do to you?_ She thought. "They…they took her powers, Em." She could hear Emerald take a few steps back. She looked back to take a gander at her expression; with no surprise, it was one of shock, and then anger.

"Nora…you wanted to tear this place apart, right?" Emerald said, taking her weapons from Mercury as he handed them over.

Nora simply nodded.

"Let's think about this, guys. This place is crawling with those dust-tuned or whatever, and we're still down a member. We need to find Yang and find our scrolls. If we can get Raven on standby, then maybe we can do some damage, but I think we should leave," Jaune said.

"You okay with that?" Mercury said to Cinder. "Just leaving?"

Cinder turned her head away from him, more than it already was. She didn't respond.

Jaune sighed. "Fine. Though I'll need Nora to come with me. Emerald go with the others and see if you can find anyone else who needs rescuing."

"Where are we gonna go?" Nora asked.

"We're going to go get Yang," He said.

Qrow coughed. "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby yelled. "What did they do to him? And Ren?"

"They…did something to them. Injected them with a few things, not sure what it was. They were experimenting on people. They've been kidnapping people from Lower Mistral mostly, and taking them here with offers of free, high-quality medical care," Jaune said. He clenched his fist. "Which is why we need to see if there's anyone else we need to free."

Ruby gasped. "Winter! We need to see if Winter's here!"

"Winter?" Jaune said.

"She didn't respond to her calls, either," Ruby said.

"Damn it!" Jaune yelled, scratching his head. "This is getting so complicated." He shook his head vigorously. "Alright, let's get going! Ruby go with them. Nora and I will find Yang!"

"Got it!" Ruby said as she handed over Ember Alto Celica to Jaune. She strung Qrow on her back and carried him toward the others in a sprint.

"Let's go Nora!" Jaune said from behind.

"Right!"

* * *

Yang reached the arena, noticing the alarm went off again. This time though, it was for the double doors of the Predator. It leaped out, scanning its environment. "T-106 Predator, target designation, Yang Xiao Long. Protocol: Extermination," A mechanical voice said over the intercom.

It quickly shot up a glare at her and spared no time in sending out a volley of missiles from its back directly where she was, shattering the glass. She dodged backward. _Well, here we go!_ She jumped straight into the fray, landing within the circular arena, as the Predator slowly strafed to the side. It let out a quick roar and then unleashed a torrent of fire at her.

Yang jumped into the air over the cascading flames and thrusted herself forward at the Predator. It rebuffed her attack with a swipe of its tail—crashing into her and crashing her onto the ground. Without any wasted movement she threw herself back on her feet and dodged out of the way of its lunge, as it swiped at her again with its tail. She ducked under it, and in that instant, crashed into its side with her fist, releasing a shockwave along with a loud crunch as its armored side cracked open.

She lunged away from a claw swipe. It shot out a volley of fireballs at her as she dodged and swerved past each one. The crack from her fist reknitted itself. Somehow, a machine had managed to heal its own wounds.

"Yang!" A loud voice said. "Catch!"

She looked over to the side and reflexively caught her gauntlets and put them on and ducked under the sudden lunge of the Predator as she threw a punch directly at its underside, launching it backward into a curve into the ground. Again, it knitted the wound she caused. Jaune landed at her side, along with Nora—both armed and ready. "Glad you guys are safe!" Yang said.

"What is that thing?" Nora said.

The Predator strafed slowly, gauging them, and probably scanning them.

"It's called a Templar. It's a variant of the Atlesian Paladin that can generate aura and apparently dust too," Yang said.

"Well, let Nora and I hold its attention while you attack," Jaune said. He charged forward as the Predator jumped backward and roared, causing all three of them to cover their ears. "A sonic weapon?" Jaune yelled.

"Yeah," Yang yelled. "This thing has everything! It can even fix itself with its aura! I think anyway!"

"Greaaaat!" Nora yelled, the roar fading.

They uncovered their ears as Jaune continued his charge. The machine lunged at him as he fell into a one-knee kneel, holding out his shield defensively. The machine slammed into the shield, an explosion of aura erupted in all directions as it was rebuffed. "Come on, big guy! Try that again!" Jaune yelled. He strafed to the side, keeping its attention away from her as Nora rushed over to him.

Yang extended her gauntlets and waited for an opportunity to find a weak spot. _I might have to do it the old-fashioned way and just tear it down through wear and tear!_ She watched as the mechanical beast attempted to rip and tear into Jaune and Nora. They were barely managing to avoid each attack. Nora smashed into its face with her hammer the instant she dodged its attack. Jaune released his aura around Nora, enhancing her.

Yang moved herself into a stance ready to charge at the beast, though the beast lunged back and released a wave of electricity, hitting both Jaune and Nora, Yang leaping backward to avoid it.

Jaune managed to take little damage from the blast thanks to his semblance, and Nora proceeded to use the supercharge to crash into the beast, shattering its head beneath the weight of her hammer. The beast struggled to maintain its balance as it still fixed itself. "You're kidding!" Nora said, as another eerie glow shined from its body as it released a whirlwind from inside the arena, forcing them to maintain their footing, however the beast lunged at the two of them while the whirlwind continued. It spun around in midair and swiped them with its tail, knocking them back into the wall with a crash.

They both landed on the ground on their feet, their auras still intact and strong. The whirlwind was still present however, as the beast then released fire from its body, utilizing the whirlwind to strengthen the flames into an outright inferno. _This is too much power,_ Yang thought. _No way this was from dust!_ If she was certain before, she was now, there was no other explanation. They needed to destroy this thing, now!

Yang charged forward as fast as she could, with her gauntleted arm extended out in preparation for an attack. She pushed through the whirlwind and inferno, but it weakened her momentum too much. She stood her ground against the fury of the wind and flames—waiting, feeling, sensing. _There!_ She moved along with the current of the wind at an area that would line her up with the beast. She road along the current and charged again, launched with the aid of both the wind and her gauntlets, and crashed into the side of the beast, knocking it into the wall. She removed her fist from the shattered side of the Predator and jumped backward. The whirlwind and fire faded.

It moved from out of the crater of the wall and regenerated its shattered side, still at the same speed, showing no signs of weakening. She clenched her fists. Jaune and Nora rushed over to her. "I've got an idea," Jaune said. "I want you to get hit, preferably from one of—if not its most deadly attack," he said.

"What?" Nora said, surprised. She then smiled, realizing what he had in mind.

Yang smiled as well and nodded. "I'm counting on you!" Jaune moved behind her, and Nora gave them some room as the beast let out a mechanical snarl with a step toward them, cautious. She could tell it was about to attack again. _Come on! Give me your best shot!_ She thought, still smiling. The beast released another eerie glow and charged up a fiery beam. _Looks like this is it!_ She thought as the energy grew bigger, more powerful. It fired it off, and she charged right into it. She could feel Jaune's semblance working, as she forced herself through the beam. Her aura was draining quickly, even with it empowered, as it flickered. The beam ended, and from out of the other side she released a semblance-enhanced fist directly at its head, crushing it instantly. It sent out a shockwave of flame cascading through its body, causing it to blow apart.

 _Good thing my semblance hasn't let me down again,_ she thought. Though she got comfortable too soon as another eerie glow shined, as the shattered metallic remains of the Predator became drawn to each other, inching closer and closer together as it started to reform. She inched backward. _This isn't good!_

"Do you see Yang! This is the result of our research! Over ten years of research! Taking everything we could from the grimm, from aura, from whatever we could find about the maidens, even the Gift of Creation! I'll be sure to thank Ironwood himself for his aid! And I thank you three for being such excellent test subjects!" Henry said through an intercom, from atop the uppermost part of the ring, safely behind the hardened windows of a control room.

"Ironwood?" Jaune said, having walked up to her.

Yang shot him a glare. "You're such a coward, you know that?" She yelled.

"Now, now, being a sore loser is unbecoming of a legendary huntress. Honestly, Yang, thank you! For this beast to have been more of a match for even you is excellent news!" The beast finished fixing itself, now completely reformed, now outlined with a red glow that filled other lines fixed throughout its body. "We might not even need team RWBY! We need only the maidens! Now once it finishes you, the governor will be next!"

"What is he talking about?" Nora asked.

"I'll tell you later. First, we need to find a way to destroy this thing," Yang said, getting into a fighting stance. "Jaune? You still good?"

"Still got plenty of juice left, don't you worry!" He said.

The Predator roared again, though this time, the roar was much louder. The sound shattered the glass surrounding most of the arena—save for the control room—as it disappeared. She instinctively looked behind herself, though it wasn't there. Nora yelled, as she was knocked back into a wall with a brutal swing of its tail. Yang could tell Nora's aura was completely depleted.

"Nora!" Jaune yelled. Before he could rush to her however, the beast flashed past her, and clawed Jaune right down the center of his torso with an eerily lit set of sharpened claws, shattering his aura, rending most of his armor and hoodie. He fell backward and grunted, covering his wounds with his hands as it loomed over him, snarling at him as if it was about to devour him.

The beast turned around and lunged at Yang—faster than she could react—ramming into her, launching her back. Her heart suddenly _thumped_. She skidded on the ground, forcing herself to a stop, though it was already on her again as it swiped her with its claws, and struck her with its tail, launching her back again. Another strong, painful _thump!_ She spun, and quickly regained her bearings, stopping herself from falling over as the beast was on her again. Her left arm shook again. The old memories returning. It felt like forever since it happened, back when her recklessness led to her losing an arm. The beast went in for another swipe, one she managed to dodge. For a time, she had become level-headed—though it weakened her—she managed to avoid suffering the same way again.

Another swipe from the beast as she swerved to the side, then a swipe, and another swipe, one hit her across the chest, her aura flickering again. Yet another even more painful _thump!_ _Didn't my aura flicker already?_ She thought. _Didn't think Jaune charged me up again_.

The beast lunged back, the eerie glow shadowing its movements, as it unleashed a billowing cone of flames from its entire form. She stumbled past it, only to fall into the embrace of its claws as it swiped at her again, depleting her aura, and cutting into her flesh. She fell to her knees, adrenaline masking the pain, though she could still feel it seeping out. She trembled. She felt a heat swell up in her veins, as it continued its ferocious assault. Her heart began to race like it never raced before. It pumped faster and faster until it felt like it was beating impossibly fast. As she tried to stumble up to avoid its next swipe, a haze began to wash over her, and it felt like the world around her was turning red. The beast began to turn around for another tail swipe, and—

A crash broke into its head again, as it shattered—red lightning crackling around the impact, and around her. It began knitting its wounds again, though she simply punched it again. Then again, and again, and again, and again. The sound of crunching metal against the tiled floor of the arena, with oil, dust, and shards of metal spilling out in all directions, staining, _tainting_ everything around her. She pulled her fist out from the remains, her veins burned, and her head felt like it was about to explode. She fell on her back—the haze fading, her breath erratic. She heard running footsteps as she lifted her head as best she could to notice Jaune having picked up an orange crystal from the remains of the Predator.

"Got it!" He said, still holding his wounds. "I noticed this back when you first shattered it. It must be its power source."

"Someone get in there and _get them_!" Henry yelled.

"Crap!" Jaune said as he rushed over to her. "Hold on, I'll have you back up in no time. I can try to force some aura out!" He touched her though he was rebuffed by a crackle of red electricity, causing him to lurch back in pain. "What was that?"

"Don't…worry about…me," Yang said, barely able to mouth the words. "Get…Nora."

Jaune's face became stern. He nodded and rushed over to Nora.

Yang's body felt like it was about to fall apart. Like her muscles were seared, and her body battered. If it wasn't for Jaune's semblance, she probably wouldn't have survived. She looked at the remains of the Predator and the large crater where its pieces were. _What happened to it?_ She thought. She was sure that she went for an attack, but she couldn't remember clearly. She closed her eyes. _Just a little nap…_

* * *

Jaune reached Nora and began using his semblance to restore her own, healing her from the attack of the machine, though it was barely helpful since his aura was just recovering from being depleted. He quickly emptied himself again, auraless. The alarm went off again, and he looked up to notice a door from the upper ring—not one marked as dangerous, but one that seemed to lead to another area—as soldiers stormed in, guns held ready to fire. "Crap! Yang!" He looked over at Yang who was laying there motionless. Was she okay? And what was that red electricity? He looked back at Nora who now stood up, aura stabilizing, though practically still empty.

"I'm fine Jaune, get ready!" Nora readied herself and her hammer and went into a fighting pose.

"My aura's out, and yours is about to deplete again as well," He said. Yang was hopefully unconscious, and with this many soldiers pouring in, with their aura gone, they stood little chance. _Come on, Jaune, think! THINK!_ He held up the crystal. He knew what he had to do. "Stop!" he yelled as loud as he could. "Unless you want to lose this!"

"Stop! STOP!" the scientist yelled. "Hold your fire! Stand down!"

"That's right! Come after us later if you want, but for now, we're leaving. Otherwise you lose this, you hear me!" He said. "Come on Nora," He said to her.

She nodded, and rushed over to Yang, putting away Magnhild, and touched Yang though she was also rebuffed by red electricity. Nora forced passed it and threw Yang on her back. "Come on!" She yelled, clearly resisting the pain from the red electricity crackling out from Yang like a broken electrical circuit.

* * *

Raven walked down the red carpeting of the governor's mansion, walking slightly behind Oscar. _James, what the hell are you up to?_ "Didn't think Alexis still had Ironwood on speed dial," She said.

"Are you concerned?" Oscar said, turning his head to address her as he walked.

"Ironwood is a general, Oscar. If he feels it is in his best interest—in Atlas' best interest—then he'll hide things from us," Raven said.

"I'll talk to him when we return then," Oscar said. They approached the fifth floor, before large mahogany-colored double doors of ornate design. The same elderly gentleman from before stood in front, arms placed behind his back.

"Mr. Pine, I assume? And your guest?" He said.

"Raven Branwen," She said. "Consider me his bodyguard."

"Understood, Ms. Branwen. Please, right this way," He said as he opened one of the doors for them.

Oscar walked in first, Raven following in after him. Now that she wasn't here to spy, she managed to get a good look at the room. What kind of room would a man like Owain stay in? As she got in, it was mostly empty. It simply had a large, luxurious bed that looked like it hadn't been made in years, off in the far-right corner. Other than that, it was surprisingly bare though it was awfully tattered. She looked at Oscar who had stopped and followed his gaze. There by the window stood Owain Helios clad in an armored garb—slightly different from his previous outfit, which had been much more armored. His weapon was nowhere to be seen.

"Owain Helios," Oscar said. "You wanted to speak with me?"

Owain turned around to face them. "Yes, I—why, Raven! Good of you to join us!"

"Oh, don't act like you're glad to see me. We're not here for pleasantries. What do you want?" Raven said. She crossed her arms.

"Oh, but I am, believe me. And I wish to speak to Oscar here." Owain said through his helmet.

"About what, might I ask?" Oscar said, though he already knew the answer, he couldn't say it lest he reveal she had been spying.

"I understand that you are aware of the four of us, and that you know of the nature of the relics, am I correct in that assumption?" Owain said as he walked toward and sat on a rickety chair that in another time might have been of high-quality.

"The four of us?" Oscar said, quoting him.

"Yes," Owain said.

"So, the others have returned as well?" Oscar said

"Respond to my question first if you will," Owain said as he crossed his arms and threw his right leg over the other.

"Right," Oscar said as he coughed. "Yes. I knew the original four, and I once held the relics at various times myself."

 _What were the chances that Owain knew that Oscar was lying to him?_ Though it wasn't a big deal. A small lie.

"You _knew_ them?" Owain asked.

"Yes. The original four—though they have been gone now for millennia—were sort of teachers to me," Oscar said.

"Millennia you say? How are youstill alive then?" Owain asked.

"I…was cursed. Though the curse is gone now, it forced me to live again, and again till I fulfilled the gods original mission that had been given to me," Oscar said.

 _Well, hopefully Owain wasn't the type of person to lash out at people who lied to them._

"I see. What about these maidens? How do _they_ exist?" Owain asked.

"Respond to my question first if you will," Oscar said, and she could swear he put on a cocky smirk as he said that. _You were terrified of him earlier, what gives?_ Raven thought.

Owain let out a low laugh. "Had some time to find your bearings then? Good! I'd rather not speak to cowards who struggle to mouth full sentences. Very well! Yes! The others have returned."

"Can I ask how?" Oscar asked. "How does your power work? Is it like the maidens?"

Owain looked back out the window. "I cannot say." He looked back at Oscar. "Revealing such information would…jeopardize my mission. You understand, I'm sure."

"Your mission?" Raven asked. "What mission? The relic? How would knowing how you got your power hurt you?" She stepped forward and let out a single ha! "Could it be that if we found out, you'd be weakened somehow? That all we have to do was discover your little secret?"

Owain paused and slowly turned to look at her. "You have no idea how… _wonderful_ it is for you to confront me so, Raven."

She recoiled in response. _That's a little creepy. How he said it certainly didn't help,_ she thought.

"Take my refusal to comment on the subject as you will, I'll tell you no more," Owain said.

There was a pause. "Alright then. Before I ask my next question, should we continue our trade? What else would you like to know? Oscar said.

Raven's brow furrowed. _What are you doing?_

"I'd like to know how the maidens are associated with the relics. How are they able to retrieve them, when no others are?" Owain asked.

Oscar rested his hands over the tip of his cane's hilt. "The original four granted me a blessing which melded with me. A long time after that I split my power up and gave it to four young women who were granted these blessings."

Owain paused. "Interesting…Now, what question did you have in mind?" Owain said.

"Why are you after the Gift of Destruction? What do you intend to do with it?" Oscar said.

Owain let a moment pass in silence as he let his armored head rest on his fist, right elbow resting on the armrest. "I intend to destroy it."

Raven's eyes widened. " _What?_ "

"Why?" Oscar yelled.

"Answer me this first. Will you do everything it takes to stop me? Will you rise to the challenge? Take any risk, make any sacrifice to put an end to me?" Owain said, tone low and stern.

Oscar paused. "Yes. Whatever it takes." He returned the sternness.

"Then does it matter why? You know what you must do, and I wish you well in the endeavor. You may leave at your leisure," Owain said as he motioned them out with a wave of his free hand.

Oscar turned to look at her and nodded. She nodded back and the both of them walked out of the room.

"Oh, and Raven? Before you go, I'd thought I'd inform you of something you might be interested in."

 _Ugh, this guy needs to stop._ She turned around to face him. "What is it?" She snapped.

"I knocked your daughter unconscious in the south. She's been captured, along with the former Fall Maiden—among others," He said, nonchalantly.

Raven clenched her fist as tight as she could. "If you've done anything to her, I'll—"

"Oh please, Raven. As much as I admire your courage, you're no match for me. You've been given a clear goal now. Go and see to it," He said.

 _Oh, you son of a—_ She clenched her jaw. "Fine! Oscar let's go!" She stormed out of the room. _Yang…Hold on!_


	9. Yang's Arc Chapter 7

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 7 – A Haven No More**

* * *

Raven and Oscar walked down the steps of the governor's mansion. The front was clear, so they had ample room to talk, though Raven didn't really care for that at the moment. She wasn't one to rush into something completely blind, but she didn't have much choice. "Oscar, you're coming with me."

Oscar chuckled. "Is that an order?"

"Yes. We talked about what I found out earlier, and Owain himself confirmed it," Raven said. Though if she really didn't care about Cinder. Her biggest concern was saving her daughter.

"The former Fall Maiden," He said, quoting Owain. He sighed. "They've probably managed to implant the power elsewhere. Not too long ago, Ruby had called me earlier asking if Qrow or Jaune contacted me and where they were last. I get the feeling that that had something to do with it."

"Then what are we waiting for? The longer we wait, the longer Yang and Ruby are in danger!" Raven said. What were the odds they'd steal her power too? When she fought Cinder, she proved she was capable of stealing in the midst of combat, though she needed to take advantage of a blind spot. In that case, all she had to do was keep her eyes peeled and ensure that nothing touched her.

"I know," Oscar said. He paused. "I suppose it's convenient though."

"What?" Raven asked, confused.

"I'll tell you when we rescue the others. We can't continue to hide and act in secret." Oscar walked forward, back facing Raven. "We have to take drastic measures to stop Owain from destroying the relic. I can't guess why he'd want that, so we just have to assume something bad will happen if he did." He looked back at her. "I'm ready."

Raven nodded. _Hang on Yang!_ She gripped the hilt of her sword and swung it outward; a dark portal opening up from the cut in the air. She jumped through, assuming Oscar would follow.

* * *

Jaune and Nora—with Yang being piggybacked—ran down a corridor. They quickly spun around the corner and found an empty chamber that looked like it had been a storage room of some sort, a rather large one at that. "Let's catch our breath and recharge a little," He said. No one had been following them, though he had no doubt that they'd swarm them once they figured out a plan to get the crystal back. How much time did that give them? The dust-tuned were the biggest threat, though without them he wouldn't need much aura.

Nora put Yang down against the wall. "How's your aura?"

"It's making good progress. I should have enough to recharge you faster." To be frank, right now he was only needed for his semblance. If he could keep Nora's aura up, they'd have a shot to get out of here. The only concern was _how_ they were going to get out. He turned to look at Yang, her head tilting to the side, arms placed on her lap as she slept soundly. "How is she?"

Nora turned back to Yang. "She's sound asleep. That red electricity faded." Nora looked concerned.

He'd never seen anything like that before, certainly not from Yang. The moments before Yang destroyed the machine, she had taken severe hits and knowing how her semblance worked, he assumed that it had something to do with it, though he couldn't be sure. He watched her aura flicker before—after he had used his semblance on her—and he could have sworn it flickered again later. He looked at Nora's concerned expression as she opened and closed her fist. "What is it?" Jaune said.

"That wasn't normal electricity," Nora said. "It didn't charge me up. It just…hurt."

He looked up at Nora. _That's strange._ He thought. "Yeah, it hurt me too." _Though that's a problem for another time._ Jaune looked at Yang again. "Either way, let's rest up a bit before we g—" He gripped his sword reflexively—crystal in his left hand—as a dark portal opened up beside Yang; he loosened his grip. Raven and Oscar stepped from out of it. "Raven? Oscar?"

Raven sheathed her sword and knelt beside Yang. "What happened? Is she alright?"

"How did you know we we—" Jaune coughed. "She's just exhausted. _Really_ exhausted, but fine." He wondered if he should tell her about the red electricity as she sighed in relief, though he pushed the thought aside, as they had other concerns. They had to find the others and get out with the crystal.

"What happened here? And what is that you're holding?" Oscar said.

Jaune looked down at the large orange crystal in his hand. _I have an idea…_ "It was the power source to this thing Yang called a Templar. A ridiculously strong machine that she said was a variant of the Atlesian Paladin."

"An Atlesian Paladin?" Raven said. She looked at Oscar. "You _really_ need to have a chat with Ironwood."

Ironwood got namedropped again. He couldn't deny that something was going on with him. _A machine that could generate aura…_ "What's up with him, anyway?" Jaune said.

"I don't know. What I do know is that Alexis is still in contact with James, which worries me. Now that you mention that you fought a variant of a machine James oversaw the creation of, I'm even more worried." Oscar said. "As for that crystal…"

Jaune looked down at it again. "Yeah…it's probably what you're thinking." There was a part of him that was glad. If they could only get the power from out of the crystal, they could find another worthy host for it. Their struggles with Cinder, _his_ struggles with Cinder were over as they had given her a chance, though seeing her again had opened up old wounds. He looked over at Raven.

She checked Yang and wasn't pushed away by the red electricity, which proved Nora right about it having faded. "What about the others? Where's Ruby? And Qrow?" Raven asked.

"The rest of us split up. Qrow is…we don't know, same with Ren. The scientists here injected them with something. Qrow is with Ruby, and Ren is with Mercury." Jaune said.

"Alright, I'll go get them." Raven said, as she stood up and slashed into the air, creating another portal. She jumped through it as it closed behind her.

"Jaune, did you find anything out about this place, anything that could help?" Oscar said.

"Yeah, the people here are definitely working with the New Dawn, though they planned to kill the governor," Jaune said.

"Yeah, this scientist said he was going to use the machine we fought to kill him after he took _us_ down," Nora said.

Oscar put his fingers on his chin. "That's strange…a split within the New Dawn perhaps?"

"Not sure, though they definitely have a grudge against him. When we were captured, the scientists even asked us if we were sent by Owain, though we didn't think anything of it at the time." Nora said.

Certainly seemed like it. Here they thought that the governor _led_ the New Dawn though they only had evidence that he was probably one of its benefactors, like this Albus person. Perhaps they found something out about their supporters they didn't like. He wasn't sure if that made Owain an ally or an enemy at this point. "Oscar, did you find anything out about the governor recently?"

"Raven and I found out that he was ignorant of the maidens and why they could open the vaults. We exchanged information and now he knows why, and in exchange he told us that he wants to destroy the Gift of Destruction."

"What?" Jaune said. " _Destroy_ it? Why?" Why destroy it? And here he thought evil people like him all wanted power. Why would he want to destroy the sword?

"Not sure, he never gave an answer. Though there was something else," Oscar said as he walked toward Yang.

"What?" Nora asked.

"He mentioned certain key information—if revealed—would jeopardize his mission." Oscar said.

"So we have a line of attack then?" Jaune asked. Find this information, whatever it is, and use it against him. Though that seemed too easy. Before Oscar could respond though he intended to learn more. "Would you say—from your meetings with him—that he'd be the type of person who'd lead us astray? Give us a false lead, to make it easier for him to win?"

"No. I don't think he's that type of person. The Berserker was not one to use deceit or trickery. She was… _fierce_ , overpowering…absolute. She didn't _need_ to deceive. At least from what I remember of his memories." He turned around to face Jaune again. "Whatever this information is has to be something devastating to him. Something that even his nature as the Berserker wouldn't be able to mitigate. We have to find out what it is, and I think I have an idea."

That surprised him. "Really? What is it?"

"I'll tell you once everyone arrives," Oscar said.

Another portal opened up, and everyone else came through, the last person being Raven.

"Yang!" Ruby said, wasting no time to rush over to her sister.

"She's fine, just exhausted," Jaune said. He looked over at Cinder who fixated on him, or rather, the crystal he was holding. _Damn it._

"Is that?" Emerald said.

"Most likely," Jaune said. He never once doubted their decision to spare her. Their times traveling together had made him believe in Ruby's idealism, that there was a better way, that they didn't need to destroy and kill to defeat evil or save the world. That had made them different. It was Ruby's idealism that protected them from Salem's venom, her power, the way she would twist peoples' souls. It's what ultimately led them to victory. And now…

"We should be careful with that," Oscar said. They all turned to look at him. "We won't know who the next Fall Maiden will be."

Jaune looked over at Cinder again who had looked away solemnly. He sighed. "Well, if they managed to extract it, then they should still have the machine they did it with somewhere here." He turned to Cinder. "Was the machine a wolf-looking machine?" He should let the power flow into someone else. Someone who wouldn't misuse it. Someone… _better._

She shook her head. He noticed the scars on her body. She twitched here and there and every time her face scrunched up in pain if only for a moment.

"Then we go and find it!" Jaune sighed again. _If Pyrrha and my positions were reversed, and I'd been the one that died…_

"Jaune?" Nora said.

How did he know that whoever would get the power would use it for good? Salem's gone, but the evil within peoples' hearts didn't come from her. No, if it did, she would never had been so powerful. How did he know? He looked at Cinder again, and it seemed like she was agreeing with him as her face bore that look of defeat, a look that screamed _Do it, I deserve it._ He found himself thinking that he should just slam the crystal into the ground right now.

Oscar looked over to Jaune. "We'll talk about this more when we get the—"

"We use it and give Cinder back her powers," Jaune interjected, staring directly at Cinder.

Cinder jerked her face over at him, looking shocked. "Why?"

"Honestly, at this point, you're the most experienced with the power. It'd be best if you had it. And…" He sighed again. "It would be weird if anyone else was the Fall Maiden at this point." He noticed Ruby smiling in the corner. In fact, everyone was surprised by what he said, Cinder most of all. "Alright, alright, let's not make a big deal of it!" Suddenly, he felt something he thought he'd never feel from what he just did. A weight lifting off his shoulders. _An act of kindness goes a long way,_ he remembered his mother saying. The very thing—she would always say—that distinguished good from evil. Though in this case, it was him throwing out a hope into the universe, a hope he wished might turn into something.

Qrow and Ren began to cough erratically. _Oh thank goodness, they woke up!_ Jaune thought, relieved as he kept his sight away from Cinder. Ren opened his eyes.

"Ren!" Nora yelled, rushing over to him.

"Nora?" Ren strained to talk. "Wha—" He coughed again.

"You were injected with something, don't strain yourself!" Nora said.

Qrow coughed some more and came to as well. "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby said. Like Ren he opened his eyes and slowly started to show healthier signs of movement.

"What are you doing here?" Qrow said to Ruby.

"We came to rescue you," She said.

"Well, good timing." He coughed again. "A little later, and well, not sure what would have happened."

"Good timing, indeed," Oscar said. "Now that the two of you are awake, do you think you can retain a plan or two?"

Qrow and Ren nodded.

"Alright then!" Oscar walked over to a spot and turned to face all of them. "Things have changed. Raven and I have discovered a way to defeat Owain, a path that might not force us to overcome his overwhelming power."

"Like?" Qrow said.

"Raven, when Yang wakes up, make sure to tell her everything," Oscar said. Raven nodded as he turned back to the group. "As soon as we leave here, we need to secure the Gift of Knowledge. We need to ask Jinn what Owain is hiding."

Ruby stood up. "There's something else."

"Like what?" Oscar said.

"When we were captured. One of the scientists asked Yang and I to help. They told us there was a split within the New Dawn. Those loyal to Owain—people drawn to his strength—and those loyal to the ideals of Alexis. They planned to attack Owain with the machines they've created," Ruby said.

"Yeah, one of them even said that all they need are the maidens," Nora said. "Right after they apparently decided they no longer want Yang or Ruby's help."

"Oscar, you think that explains James' contact with Alexis?" Raven said.

"What?" Qrow asked, surprised.

"We found out that James and Alexis have been in close contact. About what I can't say, except that Alexis is able to make requests of James in short order, with apparently little pushback. It's how we received a request from Owain himself to visit him," Oscar said. "Now that you've told us this information, it's certain possible. Knowing James, he probably doesn't really care about the ideals of the New Dawn, but perhaps he feels that he could leverage the splinter within the New Dawn to take down Owain—a goal we share."

Raven scoffed and crossed her arms. "You're too trusting."

Oscar smiled. "For now, let's get Cinder her powers back and visit Haven as soon as possible."

"We need someone to stay here and guard Qrow and Ren, while the rest of us find the machine," Raven said.

"Well, you should stay here then, since you can port us should the two of them get attacked," Ruby said.

Raven nodded.

"I'm staying here too," Nora said.

"Alright, then It'll be me, Ruby, Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder then. Oscar? You coming?" Jaune said.

Oscar nodded. "Little crowded, but considering we'll be traveling with the crystal, it sounds like a good plan."

"Any ideas where to look?" Mercury said.

"I should be able to recognize the place as we draw near," Cinder said, more confidently than before.

"We can do this systematically. Go down each path, making note of any "landmarks" so to speak. I do believe this was covered in your training at the academy," Jaune said.

They all nodded, save for Cinder's group. They rushed out and went down each path, checked every room, made note of any unique features, and moved on to the next path. Eventually they were driven down a tunnel surrounded by rock rather than by the usual material. They were underground, that much he knew already, but from what he could tell they had been moving further west—away from where the Patient Grounds were—and closer to where they originally got caught. _Considering that's near where we first got messed with, this might be where they did the same to Cinder,_ He thought.

He took the lead, looking over to Cinder who seemed to have a similar thought as she scanned the area with more focus than before. They reached another part of the fortress, this one still bearing similar architectural features, though this place was colored dark gray and blue. Most of the walls and tiles were dark gray, with secondary features like crevices and decorations were colored blue. Just like the armored guys. This definitely provided further evidence that they were headed in the right direction. Even more as he noticed the more heavy spread of scientific equipment and non-militaristic technology. It seemed more…medical.

As they reached an open room they stopped. He looked around. There were biohazard signs placed directly on the windows of doors to rooms, though most of them had normal plates to the side marked with numbers that obviously indicated the room, though none of them said anything about what they were for. The place was empty, and he assumed it had evacuated per the alarm from earlier. Most of the personnel probably took the opportunity to flee when they heard the soldiers were supposed to gather.

"Here," Cinder said, facing a room off to the side. It had been closed by a set of double doors that held a sign above it—much like an emergency room in a hospital—that read _Surgery Room_.

"That's where they put you?" Emerald asked.

Cinder nodded. She walked up to the doors though shied just short of opening it.

"We should check for traps, though I don't think we'll find any—" Ruby's words were cut short as they all heard footsteps coming from behind them.

Jaune turned around to notice a red-haired woman with intricate armor that bore the New Dawn's colors. It was a sleek design. She stepped closer to them, having taken one final step before stopping. She was unarmed. "Who are you?"

"The name's Raye, Raye Amaranth. I'm here to reclaim that crystal in your hands, cutie-pie!" She said as she pointed toward the crystal.

Jaune immediately pulled out his shield to his freehand and got into a guarded fighting stance, making sure to keep the crystal covered by his shield. Mercury and Oscar stepped forward in front of him.

That immediately sent her into a flight toward them as Ruby moved over to Jaune to help him protect the crystal, while Oscar and Mercury intercepted Raye.

"I've got this!" Mercury yelled. "Go! Restore Cinder's powers!"

Everyone but Oscar, Ruby, and Mercury rushed through the doors. Before Jaune himself rushed through them, he took one final look at the three of them before following everyone else.

* * *

Mercury threw a roundhouse kick aimed at the woman's head. She ducked as she threw a punch at his face—one he knocked to the side as he kicked her in the stomach, then the arm, then the head, and then in the chest in a rapid succession. _No way I'm gonna be dead weight, here!_ He thought.

She took all the hits in stride, returning with her own succession of punches. As they exchanged blows—a punch here, a kick there; blocking, parrying, two auras colliding—Mercury noticed her lack of kicks. He deflected another two punches, quickly countering with a spinning roundhouse kick. Her style was graceful—like a monk—and she only used her legs to block or parry and she did so elegantly. He kicked at her head, but she pushed it aside with her own kick and pivoted into a fist at his chest, pushing him back. _She's good,_ he thought. He glared at her smirk. _Though not very humble._ He returned with his own smirk.

The others must have figured out what he was going for as he could tell from the corner of his eye that Oscar and Ruby had moved into a guarded position close by, ready to assist at any time. He strafed around in a circle as Raye did the same. He charged at her with a feint in a form of a kick, one she didn't fall for as she punched him backward, a blow he blocked with his arms. He charged again, igniting his lower legs with fire dust, as he kicked at her head, side, leg, and chest as she dodged each one. She kept the smirk on her face as he threw another two roundhouse kicks, a front kick, and then an upward kick—which this time connected—knocking her into the air. He bolted into the air under her and kicked her in the back higher, and then spun around and kicked her into the ground—crashing below and obscuring the battlefield with the dust and debris.

He landed on the ground on guard, waiting for her to charge. "Surely you can do better than that!" He yelled. Yellow electricity flowed from out of the cloud as it clearly swerved around the shape of a body as it suddenly vanished.

"Mercury! Behind you!" Oscar yelled, but it came a split second too late as he was knocked forward through the wall and into the next room, breaking through tables and scientific equipment. He quickly caught his bearings and charged back to the group only to find Oscar exchanging blows with her. Raye was clearing being enhanced by the electricity as her movements were unnaturally agile and was even able to match Oscar's. He moved toward her backside, hoping to get in a few blows in, but she pivoted sideways at an angle, catching both him and Oscar within her field of view. She still had that grin on her face.

"What do you think?" Mercury said to Oscar. "Dust? Like Hazel?" He kept his guard up.

"Possibly, though I can't see where she would have dust on her. There's nothing on her armor, and no entry wounds anywhere," Oscar said, keeping himself in the position of a fencer's guard.

"Keep analyzing her, then!" Mercury charged at Raye again into an axe kick. He unleashed a succession of kicks—a front kick into another axe kick, into a side kick, as he pivoted into a roundhouse kick, and then into a spin kick—each blow being blocked, though she grunted at each one, as flames sparked away from the blows with each impact. He pushed himself, tried to increase the speed of his kicks. He didn't have room here to unleash a barrage of dust attacks.

It made no difference as she parried and blocked each one, the flames around his leg clearly doing nothing except being a nuisance. He grunted as he put more force into each blow. He began gaining ground as each attack started to push her back, however that didn't last as she ducked under his roundhouse and elbowed him backward, crashing against the wall to the left of the doors to the surgery room.

"I've still got this!" He yelled, moving back into a fighting stance.

"Sure, but…" Ruby said.

"No!" He grunted and charged Raye again, still keeping that infuriating smirk on her face.

* * *

Ghira finished putting away the last file and sighed. According to the reports, grimm activity has suddenly shot up again, all over the place, yet for whatever reason they're unusually docile. Some of the reports suggested behavior similar to migration, though that's unlikely. Why would they migrate? Had Salem still been around, it would be a possibility, certainly one that they would have to consider since that would imply a change in tactics from Salem herself, though that wasn't the case. So what was causing this strange behavior, whatever it was?

"Maybe you should rest," Kali said, walking over with some freshly prepared tea.

He grabbed a cup of tea. "Thank you dear." He took a sip. As always, the flavor was just right, with the exact temperature he preferred.

"Anything?" She asked.

"No, though many of our huntsmen and huntresses have been getting reports of strange grimm activity. Some of them think they're acting intelligently, though not aggressively, oddly," He said, taking another sip, and placing the cup down. "I might send a message to the other headmasters to see if they've received similar reports." If the others report the same activity, then it would definitely be a cause for concern, and he would have to initiate a few expeditions at Haven to gather more information. Any time the grimm did anything unusual was a call for him do something about it.

"And after, you should rest, you've been up all night," She said.

"Of course, dear. I'll do just that," He replied, smiling. He looked at his watch. She was right. It was early in the morning. He looked out of the window, noting the still darkened skies, though it was hard to tell if it was nighttime due to the storm clouds that were often in the skies above Upper Mistral, rather than here. _Strange storm,_ He thought.

The room vibrated slightly, but enough to feel it. Ghira furrowed his brow, stood up, and walked toward the window, looking outside of it. Airships bearing the colors and crest of the New Dawn landed, though only two of them. He looked off to the side and noticed another ship which had also been landed though it seemed it had been there already.

A knock came at the door.

"Yes, come in!" Ghira said.

Sage Ayana walked in. "Headmaster, the governor's spokesman has come asking for your presence."

"Alexis?" Ghira asked. "Did he say why?"

"No, sir."

Ghira sighed. "Well, let's see what the man wants," he said to his wife. He walked out of his office and down to the courtyard, around the courtyard, and to the back of it, and arrived at one of the academy's landing zones. Kali walked beside him, along with Sage. He looked up. _Hopefully it doesn't rain,_ he thought. He hated being in the rain. He hated being wet in general.

Alexis combed his short gray hair back and strode forward—spotless New Dawn uniform and all—as he extended his hand. "Mr. Belladonna, good to meet you in person. I'm glad to have this opportunity to speak with the father of the High Leader of the White Fang!"

Ghira shook his hand, as Alexis then shook his wife's hand. "Likewise! You've been making quite the ruckus these days and most likely many enemies!" He wondered how Blake was doing. Alexis was clearly playing politics, though he was surprised that he would be so quick to defend the White Fang. _We've come a long way,_ he thought.

Alexis laughed a little. "Such is the life of politics." He was accompanied by two New Dawn fighters covered head to tow in white and gold armor, both of them armed with rifles, along with greatswords on their backs. Behind him were simply the three airships, though he had no idea what was inside, and that made him a little uncomfortable.

"So what brings you here?" Ghira asked. What would a man like this want with him? He had ideas, one of which he hoped was just an unreasonable concern.

Alexis clasped his hands behind his back. "I come here at the behest of our governor." He paused and looked to the side, then turned back to him. "He wishes to know how things are going with the grimm."

 _Oh is that all?_ "Well, of course! I'm happy to say that things have been going better than usual. Though in regard to Anima, the grimm seem to be migrating, though where I cannot say."

"Migrating? Any idea why?" Alexis asked.

"No, unfortunately." Ghira paused. _Maybe I can get some information about that, here_. "I understand that you have a history with James. Has he been in contact with you lately? Perhaps he made mention of odd grimm behavior? I'd imagine that might be important information for the governor," Ghira said.

"No, I haven't spoken to the General in six years I'm afraid. Ever since I left Atlas all those years ago, I've refrained from contacting my old friend," Alexis said.

"Oh? I heard that there were agents working with Salem that had been a part of Atlas. I assume that had something to do with it?" Ghira said. As he recalled, Arthur Watts was one of them, but there were others, some higher up the ranks of the military.

"Indeed it did. I worked with James for years, and to find out that humanity's greatest enemy had our own working with her frustrated me to no end. The worst was that the General was aware of it but didn't consider it a problem. Of course, it's much more complicated than that, but let's just say that it was the straw that broke the camel's back," Alexis said.

"I understand." He coughed. "Is there anything else our governor wants that I can help with?" Ghira said.

"There is. It's difficult for me to ask, but understand that the world is changing, and Mistral is surrounded by many enemies. Which is why the governor wishes for me to request of you the Gift of Knowledge," Alexis said, his face turning stern, hands still clasped behind his back.

The request shocked him. It was precisely the thing he hoped would be an unreasonable concern, but of course it was foolish to think so. "Is that so? And this is a request from the man himself?"

"It is I'm afraid," Alexis said.

"And if I refuse?" Ghira said. Silly question. Alexis was a military man, though he hoped the political side of him would be in control here.

" _Are_ you refusing?" Alexis said.

"I'm the headmaster of this academy. One of the primary purposes of the academies is to protect the relics. I cannot just hand it over," He said.

Alexis held up a finger. "Correction, one of the primary purposes of the academies was to protect the relics from _Salem_ , who's no longer around."

"Because Salem would have abused the relics for her own gain. I cannot allow for the relics to be used as such, especially not for political purposes. Haven Academy may be in Mistral, but it's politically neutral. I understand you originate from Atlas, but Haven Academy and the Mistral Military are not combined," Ghira said.

Alexis sighed. "I understand. Though unfortunately, I must confess. The request was rhetorical."

"Excuse me?" Ghira didn't like where this was headed. He had other concerns to be worrying about, he didn't need politics to be one of them.

Alexis nodded to the fighter on his left. The man then lifted his hand to his ear and spoke. "The headmaster has refused."

"What's this about?" Ghira asked. "What do you intend to do?" _Be reasonable, Alexis._

"Me? Nothing," Alexis said.

Ghira's eyes shifted to the side of Alexis' head as he noticed a man cloaked in a dark armored garb with a reverse-horned helmet—long blond hair coming out the bottom of it—strode forward, armed with his weapon at his left side.

"Understand that I didn't have much choice. The governor doesn't actually make requests. I came here hoping you'd hand over the relic so that things wouldn't escalate," Alexis said.

"Damn you!" Ghira yelled. "So what's going to happen _now_? You're going to force me to hand over the relic? Is that what it's come to?"

"You knew this was an inevitability. The relics are no longer truly secret anymore, and practically anyone with power these days is aware of them. The days of political neutrality within the academies is at an end. Please, Ghira. For your family, for your daughter, be _smart_ ," Alexis said.

The man reached them, stopping several feet behind Alexis though still within earshot. "Ghira Belladonna I assume? And beside you is your wife, Kali Belladonna?" The man said.

"You're the governor, then? Owain Helios?" Ghira said. "Kali inform the school," He said to her quietly.

She nodded and ran back into the academy.

"You intend to put up a resistance?" Owain said.

"It's my job as headmaster," He said. _This isn't good, this_ really _isn't good!_ He thought.

Owain put his hand on the hilt of his blade, clearly prepared to draw it. "How good of a fighter are you?"

"My lord, if I may, do we have to resort to violence? If we attack, a lot of people on both sides are going to die. We don't need to engage in such a risk; we don't have the troops to take an entire academy of trained huntsmen!" Alexis said.

"So be it. Such is the nature of conflict. Though I think that's more of a concern for you and your own," Owain said, hand still held on the hilt.

"Ghira, you understand what's going to happen here if you don't hand over the relic, so please, hand it over." Alexis was more insistent this time, aggressive, as if in a hurry.

"I can't. The relic was placed back into the vault some time ago and without the Spring Maiden, I couldn't give it to you even I wanted to," He said. _I need to buy time,_ He thought.

"Then we secure the academy. Alexis, command your forces to seize every building they can. Kill anyone who resists," Owain said, returning to his stride toward him.

"Yes sir," Alexis said, clearly reluctant.

"Alexis, you don't seem willing to do this. Disobey his command and help me!" Ghira pleaded. "Whatever you need of the relic, I and the students at this school can assist. It doesn't have to get violent!"

"By all means, Colonel. Do as he says. Follow your conscience. I'll cut you down, but regardless. Don't let that stop you," Owain said. The guards beside him balked at that.

"I've heard of your maliciousness, "governor" and to think I'd given you the benefit of the doubt!" Ghira said.

"Step aside, old man. You don't need to die today. Forego your duty, and tell me the location of the vault," Owain said, not stopping.

He felt a chill go down his spine as every fiber of his being _commanded_ him to run. _What is this feeling?_ He thought as he began to sweat, unable to stop himself from taking a few steps back, trying to create space between himself and Owain. "Why? What do you want from the relic?"

"Such an object has the power to be a bit of a nuisance to me, and I'd rather not deprive my dear girl the joy of a proper challenge. Things are quite the _bore_ when they're accomplished so easily," Owain said, still closing the gap between them.

"What?" He said. He clenched his fists. He couldn't stay here. He could practically _feel_ the bloodlust oozing from this man, this monster. He broke into a sprint—followed by Sage—back to the headmaster's building. _I have to inform them!_ An alarm went off at the school. _She did it! Hopefully this helps!_ He couldn't shake the feeling he got from the governor. The strange _terror_ that seemed to emanate from his entire being. "Did you feel that, Mr. Ayana?"

"I did," Sage said, clearly knowing what he was referring to.

"Are you ready to do your duty?" Ghira asked.

"I am," Sage said firmly, as they continued their sprint.

"Good!" As soon as he reached his office again, he found several huntsmen and huntresses there waiting for him. "Glad you all were available. Go out into the school and defend every place you can!"

"Yes sir!" They all said.

"What about us?" Kali said.

"I'm not sure. We need to help defend the academy. Save as many people as we can. Owain can't get to the vault nor open it even if he had the watch. We can afford to leave it undefended."

She nodded and ran off. Suddenly, gunfire went off all around him, all coming from outside of the building. He ran out of the office and out of the building into the courtyard as quickly as he could. The battle had broken out there as he noticed that his students clearly had the advantage, however unnecessary the violence was.

Most of the fallen already were primarily comprised of the New Dawn, in which there were a surprising number of them, though he spoke too soon as he noticed the airships flying overhead, dropping more troops and robots down into the courtyard, and firing off salvos of missiles into the school grounds, blowing through many of the rooftops.

A group of soldiers broke free from a huntsman and barreled straight toward him. He charged them quickly, punching one of them backward, clawed through another's armor, terrifying him straight to the ground, then slammed the heads of the last two together. "Run!" He yelled at the man on the ground as the soldier did just that. He noticed his wife running toward him out of the corner of his eye.

"Most of the students are waking up from the alarm and have been told over the coms in their buildings to prepare to defend the school!" She said.

"Kali I need you to get to my office and get the watch, then call for assistance!"

She nodded. "You two! With me!" She yelled to two huntsmen—Neptune and Scarlet—as they both wasted no time in following her.

Another group of soldiers charged at him and Sage as Sage quickly spun around with his greatsword, creating a wave of force that knocked them back, either killing or knocking them out. Up above, two gigantic machines that looked like Atlesian paladins dropped from the airships, though up close they were clearly different. He noted the markings on the lower part of the chassis that read _T-103_ , though he had no idea what it meant. The two machines raised both of their arm cannons and fired directly into the huntsmen and huntresses, the firepower notable enough to create large explosions wherever they landed, forcing many of his students back, creating a path for the New Dawn. The twin machines turned back to himself and Sage as they moved toward them.

Sage charged them, dodging gunfire from the two of them as he swung his greatsword down hard atop one of their heads, causing its _aura_ to flicker. Though that shouldn't be possible. A machine with aura? "Sage! To me!" Sage turned his head to Ghira and then jumped back to him. "Let's be careful with these two."

Before they could do anything else, the one that was hit aimed its cannons at them, firing off a salvo of missiles at them, forcing them back. The other one fired its own salvo at a group of students fighting off soldiers over at the entrance to the courtyard. Though he couldn't be certain, many of them wouldn't have been able to get away from the surprise attack. He clenched his teeth, trying to find cover. He found it behind some debris which came from one of the attacked buildings, as Sage followed him there. The machine which attacked them moved forward, firing off a barrage of bullets at other students. He had to get in there, though he'd be throwing his life away. "Sage! Ready? We launch an attack at its cannons. Get in, deplete its aura, destroy its cannons, then get out!"

He nodded, then the both of them charged at the machine as Sage jumped into the air for a massive swing as Ghira charged in with a heavy fist, one he threw as hard as he can as their attacks combined shattered its aura. " _Now!"_ Ghira yelled, as Sage landed atop its left cannon and stabbed his greatsword right into the middle of it, expelling electricity outward. Ghira himself leaped atop the other one as it flailed about, trying to knock them off. He sank both his claws into the cannon and with an immense _heave_ he pulled out the plating from the cannon and swiped into the innards of the cannon—fire and electricity flying out everywhere—as he leaped off back onto the ground, along with Sage who had pulled out his greatsword and landed beside him.

"Good work! Now the next one!" Ghira looked over to the one they had dealt with as it had to rely on its brute force without its cannons, something he trusted his students to be able to handle, as they rushed to the other one though before they could reach it, one of the airships dropped another machine, one that looked like a wolf marked _T-106_ on the lower right side of its belly. _Another one?_ He thought, anxiously, as it roared loudly, forcing him and Sage to cover their ears. After a few seconds, the roar faded.

A blinding flicker of light followed by a deafening crackle of thunder exploded in the air. Another flash of lightning and another sound of thunder rang into his ears. The soldiers turned around, some of the huntsmen and huntresses doing the same, many of them backing away from the center path. Owain walked into the courtyard, sword drawn. "Everyone! Don't underestimate him, but don't hold back! Ignore the fear! It's a trick!" He yelled in an attempt to rally them, now ignoring the wolf-like machine which last he checked simply stood there, strafing, gauging.

One of the huntsman charged Owain though was cut through in an instant, their aura doing nothing to protect them. Owain stepped over the body, as if avoiding a pile of crap on the floor. Another charged, and another cut down huntsman. Then two huntresses charged, each of them landing a solid hit on him though the attacks did nothing to slow down his stride before he cut one of them down, then the other. "Is this all the strength these so called "huntsmen and huntresses" can muster?" Owain yelled, still striding forward, causing the others to continue backing away. "Don't flee. Those who fight have no right to fear death. Many of you joined this academy for the sole purpose of vanquishing the evil of the world! Why then, do you back away? Why do you flee in the very presence of that which you are sworn to destroy?"

The stress of his role as headmaster collided with him like a weight threatening to drown him beneath the stones he stood on as he had to make a choice. A choice that felt like it wouldn't make a difference against what seemed to be an abomination. He shook his head. _Stop it! You don't need to command anything heroic, simply hold till help arrives!_

* * *

Weiss tried to keep her focus on the meeting, forcing herself to stop worrying about Winter, wherever she may be. She had to rush back to Atlas from the party at Percy's insistence. She already missed one meeting and he didn't want her to miss another. She appreciated his concern over her job as president, but sometimes it was rather frustrating. She spun her chair around, facing back toward the table she sat at to force her focus on the executives of her company.

"Jen," Her father said. "The quarterly report?"

"Our profits this quarter so far have rose by twenty-one percent. We have the White Fang to thank for that. That and the political turmoil over in Mistral," Jen said.

"What of the yearly reports on our dust yields?" Wilson said.

Jen shifted through the papers, though she clearly reviewed them already. Her brow furrowed. "All reports are consistent across the board. Our dust yields have dropped by twenty-three percent."

"Twenty-three?" Wilson replied.

"Yes, though I should note that this is one percent higher from last year," Jen said, having placed the papers down.

"You've mentioned this every year as I recall?" Weiss said. She wasn't certain, but as she remembered it, every year they had discussed a decline in their mines' dust yields and they could never figure out the cause.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee. The first drop happened five years ago; that is when we first obtained data indicating a three percent decline in our dust yields, though we made nothing of it at the time. Such fluctuations are not abnormal so naturally it never became much of an issue. Though now…" Jen put her elbows on the table and clasped her hands.

"Three percent was the first year, five years ago. What about every year after that?" Wilson said.

Jen picked up the sheets and skimmed them. "Four percent the following year, five percent the one after, then another five percent, and finally six percent. A slight but steady increase year-by-year."

Her father propped his elbows on the table, covering his mouth with the sides of his hands. "Any idea what's causing it?"

"I've consulted with our research teams, our QA teams, and our supervisors, and none of them have any suggestions, though our researchers did propose a number of untested hypotheses," Jen said.

"What about the war that's going on? Well…cold war, rather," father said.

Wilson coughed. "Yes, as I do recall, the White Fang has asked for more shipments of dust, and as far as I can tell, this New Dawn hasn't exactly been skipping out on their dust needs. Maybe they've been hitting our mines? We have expanded further outward these last few years, perhaps the timing isn't coincidental."

 _Wilson never trusted the White Fang, and he's still a traditionalist when it comes to faunus rights..._ "I don't think the White Fang has been hitting our mines, though I can't say the same about the New Dawn. Regardless of my relationship with their High Leader, if they intended to procure dust via unethical means like theft, I don't see why they'd try to contact us directly."

Father looked at her and nodded. "I agree; besides, they've been consistent and in the last few years they have been a reliable client. I'm not a military man, but I don't see any strategic or tactical advantage in stealing from us _while_ providing us with a consistent stream of profit. Especially since, as I've mentioned earlier, they've been a boost to said profits."

"Is it only us that's suffered a decline in dust yields?" Whitley asked, sitting across from father.

"I wouldn't know, nor do I think our competition would be inclined to let us know," John said, sitting across from her.

"No, but based on the stock market, we should be able to deduce if anyone else is also suffering from a decline, right? Atlesian law may not require specific things to be reported in our reporting, but the shareholders should still act on information they're receiving from the company," Whitley retorted.

John rubbed his chin. "Good point. Do we know if the stock market has shown any signs of such?"

"Hard to tell. There are many things that would overlap in terms of causes when it comes to stock market activity. Though if every company shows similar behavior all of a sudden, especially one timed within the last five years, I'd say it's a start," Jen said.

"Couldn't we just get information from people working with our competitors?" Wilson said.

"I don't think they'd be willing to give us that information. Unless…" Weiss said. She had an idea all of a sudden. Even though she was president, she was still a legendary huntress. Maybe if she asked them directly if they've suffered from a similar decline. But should she? Would that be dishonest? Would that be abusing her reputation? All for her company? She looked to them, and they all waited for details. People who deferred to her, even her brother and father of all people!

"Weiss, what is it?" father said.

"I could be the one to request the information personally. Not as president of the SDC however. If every company is suffering from a decline in dust yields, then that could be a sign of something bigger going on," Weiss said.

"You're not suggesting that environmental nonsense, are you?" Wilson said. "We've been hounded by those extremists for years. Don't tell me you've started listening to them!"

"Not really," Weiss said. She was telling the truth too. Though now that he brought up the concerns of environmentalists… _Time to play politics. Let's see how you handle this, Wilson!_ She thought. "The environmentalists have strong support within the Atlesian council, having two seats representing them. They're also heavily supported worldwide, and its been hurting our reputation." _Don't claim credit, Weiss,_ "If I were to acquire evidence that goes against their claims, then wouldn't that hurt their attempts to paint us as a company hellbent on mining the world dry?" She looked over to her father, who smiled slyly. Though the smile was not a proud one, she did get the feeling he _was_ feeling proud.

Wilson coughed. "Well…Ms. Schnee, I'm quite impressed! That sounds like an excellent course of action!"

* * *

Raven walked back and forth, arms crossed, keeping a gaze on her daughter who still slept against the wall as if she were safe at home. Whatever she did must have been crazy if she was _this_ exhausted. "What happened in that fight with the Templar?" She asked Nora.

"Well, we were able to damage it quite a bit. Even destroyed it several times, though it simply regenerated itself each time," Nora said.

"It could regenerate?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, it had crazy speed, lots of strength, and could use magic which was obviously thanks to the crystal. No matter how many times we damaged it, it simply got back up and healed itself. When Yang completely shattered it into pieces with the help of Jaune's semblance, it still put itself back together. Then it powered up and overwhelmed us until Yang went ballistic and broke it again long enough for Jaune to take the crystal. That stopped its regeneration," Nora said.

"Ballistic?" Raven said.

Nora nodded. "Her semblance. She kept getting hit, and it looked like she was about to die, then, well, she just destroyed it all of a sudden with a punch, then just kept punching it nonstop, even after it was destroyed." Nora looked over to Yang. "Then when I went to pick her up after she went to sleep, I was shocked by red electricity."

"Red electricity?" Qrow asked. "Like _actual_ electricity? Did it charge you up?"

Nora shook her head. "No, it just hurt. It's gone now, but well. She's been asleep ever since."

Raven looked back to her daughter. _Seems like you went all out then, didn't you?_ Though she never heard of Yang generating electricity of any kind without dust. Perhaps her semblance was changing, evolving. It happened to people from time to time, so maybe it was happening to her. If that's the case, then she would need to help her get the hang of its changes. They were going to need it.

* * *

A sense of relief washed over her as they activated the machine, following the steps the scientists performed when they did this to her. Jaune of all people placed the crystal in the center of the device, causing energy to be pulled forth from the crystal. Emerald flipped a switch, and the energy shot into her. A sensation, a familiar, lovely, wonderful, happy, _powerful_ feeling rushed over her as— _You who have lived in wretchedness…_ a woman's voice said. It startled her. That was never there before. Was it?

"Cinder?" Jaune asked.

She shook her head, snapping out of it. "What?" She looked down at her hand, summoning forth a wisp of flame. Her sister. Her _real_ sister. The companion that had been with her all these years. She breathed a breath of relief and smiled. The pain was still there but was much, _much_ weaker than before. "I'm fine. It worked."

Emerald sighed in relief. _Em…_ she thought.

"We should probably see if the others are alright," Cinder said. _You who rejected the light,_ the voice said again. She balked at that and looked up and around.

"Cinder?" Em said. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," Cinder said. She couldn't deal with that right now. They were still in this place and needed to get out before she lost her powers again. "Come on!" She rushed out of the doors and back into the previous room where she saw Mercury holding his own—though barely—against Raye. They both stopped as the rest of them reentered the room. She could tell based on Raye's expression that she realized they had given her back her powers.

"This isn't good," Raye said as she turned to Mercury. "Looks like I can't keep messing around here." Raye sped off down the corridor, as fast as she could.

"Hey!" Mercury yelled. "You can't just run away!"

"Leave her," Oscar said. He turned to Cinder. "Did it work?"

Cinder nodded and grinned.

Mercury let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like everything is back to normal then? Let's get back to the others and get the hell out of here."

They all nodded as Oscar took out his scroll and put it up to his ear. "Yes? Hello? Kali?" He said. Loud sounds coming from the other end even she could hear despite the scroll not being on speaker. "What?" He yelled. "Alright, I understand. We'll be there as soon as possible. Don't do anything crazy! If you need to retreat, then retreat, don't make any unnecessary sacrifices," he said, hanging up shortly after. "We've got a problem. A _big_ problem."

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"Owain has attacked Haven," He said, his expression deeply concerned.


	10. Yang's Arc Chapter 8

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 8 – Frivolous Battle**

* * *

Blake got comfortable in her chair, slouching against the back of the cushioned seat; she took a deep breath and exhaled. Work, work, work. Honestly, if it wasn't for all the good she was doing, she would of quit ages ago. _I don't know how dad did all this without losing his sanity,_ she thought. And it wasn't just his job as the High Leader during his time, but even after that in Menagerie, and now as Headmaster of Haven Academy. Having now taken the time out to enjoy the wonderful luxury of stifling through tedious amounts of files—despite having a team of staff to help ease her burdens—she decided that it _wasn't_ going to be on her list of fond memories.

She took out a large scroll that was in the drawer below the top of the desk and went through some of the recent reports. Most of them were the usual. New recruits and their personal information, approval ratings in different kingdoms, complaints and concerns from local towns, logistical reports, mission reports, and expenditure reports on what the White Fang purchased from different companies who had been eager to supply them with equipment, goods, and services.

However, there was one particular report she never got around to reviewing. She leaned forward, putting her elbows on the desk, as she rubbed her temples. She tapped the file with her finger, noting the title. It was the report that Ilia had written that went over what her team had found in one of Nero's hideouts, though of course they knew now it was a decoy base, like most of them were. Still, any new information helped. She hadn't taken the opportunity to go over what her three lieutenants discovered during their last raid against Nero, and this report pretty much summed that up. Now after that previous confrontation, she decided to focus on what she saw as the inevitable collision course with her apparent archenemy. She _would_ learn why he hated her, why he wanted her to quit.

A knock came at the door. "Come in," She said. The door opened, and Sun, Ilia, and Adam walked inside. Adam combed his hair back and swiped away a strand of hair out of the way of his eyes as Sun rushed in and got comfortable against the wall.

Ilia crossed her arms and slightly leaned on her right foot. "You wanted to see us, boss?" Ilia said with a cocky smirk.

"Yes. I wanted to finally talk about your last raid." Blake said as she returned to her slouch.

Ilia looked to Adam. He stepped forward. "When we went there, eventually we _did_ attempt to take down Nero, which went as well as you'd expect, except before that we discovered something in that false base of his."

Ilia looked back to Blake. "He was training faunus. No more than five. They were young, and based on what we saw, they were pretty good! They might even be prodigies."

"Not only that, but none of them seemed to bare any grudge against the White Fang—current or former," Sun said. "In fact, the subject of the White Fang barely came up."

"Really?" Blake said. "Did you find anything out about why they follow him then?"

"Not for certain. A lot of the specifics never really came up. Nero didn't mention much except for a few references to how semblances worked, how aura worked; the usual stuff. He sounded like a professor from one of the academies, though more well-spoken. I think they follow him because he's given them structure. If I had to guess, they were all faunus who had it rough, then Nero came along and helped them learn to defend themselves," Ilia said.

"That's…nice of him if that's true." She hoped it was. If Nero was mostly just training faunus to fend for themselves without radicalizing them, then she had to give him more credit than she'd given him so far. Though based on what Qrow had told her before, she had to assume that whatever knowledge they found, Nero _wanted_ them to find. That and what Ilia had just described fit the story of the Huntsman. Which meant that Nero might have lied to her. She _did_ say she would trust him—against her better judgment—but still. "Anything else?" Blake said.

"Something about dust, something else about a shard or something, not sure, Nero didn't get specific enough for us to determine the context," Sun said, letting his tail flail about.

"A shard? A shard of what?" Blake said.

"No clue," Adam said.

She didn't have any clue either. She didn't want to overlook or ignore anything, and she couldn't think of anything that might be related to a shard of any kind. Perhaps another word for dust? She couldn't say for certain and that seemed to be reaching. "What do you guys think?"

"No idea. Nero's been able to counter us all this time, remember? I don't think we found any dirt on him. Him training young faunus could be just a ploy to make us think he's not a bad guy; get us off his trail. He knows how to play politics, after all," Ilia said.

"And based on what you asked me before, I went over all of Sienna's old files. I even contacted old friends and associates back during the days of the old White Fang to see if they could give me anything on Nero. Anyone they could think of with a semblance that might be in anyway related to intangibility or shadows, but aside from you, nothing," Adam said.

"Yeah, I got nothing, either. And that preeety much covers it!" Sun pushed himself off the wall and stretched.

"So, the usual with you, eh, Sun?" Blake teased with a smile.

Their meeting was interrupted by another knock at the door. "Yes?" Blake said.

One of her council walked in in a hurry. "High Leader, you should turn on the News!"

Blake's brow furrowed as she swiped the remote from the corner of her desk and turned the television on. As always it was left on the news. Her face shifted to one of shock as she read the headline aloud. "Haven currently under attack!" She shot up from her chair. _Dad! Mom!_ Looking at the footage which was being shot by people clearly at a distance, she exerted no effort in recognizing the insignias on the airships firing missiles into the school. "The New Dawn? Damn them!"

"Why would they attack Haven?" Sun said.

"Only one reason why they would," Blake said. _I have to get there and help!_ "Guys, get ready, I want you there immediately." She rushed over to her wardrobe and opened it. "And I'm coming with you!"

They all nodded and smiled. "What about back up?" Ilia said.

"Send as many teams as we have available to assist the school!" Blake commanded. "Tell them to focus on evacuation and containment! Minimize as many casualties as possible!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Ilia said.

* * *

Yang opened her eyes. Her veins still burned, but not enough that she couldn't ignore it. It was just one of those itchy type of burns that was far more of an annoyance than a literal pain. She tried to remember what had happened back in that arena and the only thing she could recall was Jaune rushing to her before she told him to check Nora. She remembered feeling tired. Like, _really_ tired. More tired than she had ever felt before.

"Yang!" A familiar voice said.

She raised her head toward the voice and rubbed her eyes. "Mom?" She said. "What are you doing here?"

"Would you believe me if I said Owain told me he knocked you out?" Mom said with a smile, kneeling in front of her.

Yang chuckled. "Yeah, sounds like him." _What? Do I know him, now?_ She thought. Did she? She's only encountered him twice yet now that she recalled him, yet she felt like she _did_ know him. "Where's everyone else?" She looked to the side and noticed Qrow, Ren, and Nora standing there smiling. "Hey! Finally found you guys!" She laughed groggily.

"Hey, firecracker. I heard you went a little crazy. Get a good nap?" Qrow said.

Yang stood up slowly and stretched. "Yeah," She said, making a few stretching sounds. "Though my veins still burn a little."

"Your…veins?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, no idea why though," Yang said. Seriously, though. What happened to her? Either way, she should probably thank Jaune for that last-minute recharge. If her aura didn't recover the way it did, she'd be dead. She underestimated these guys. A machine equipped with maiden powers? That could regenerate to seemingly no end? Good thing they'd discovered its weakness in that respect. She just had to remember to remove the crystal when she saw it, though she didn't intend on seeing one of those things again. She felt a small twinge of worry for her mom, recalling what Cinder had been like.

Everyone else rushed into the room they were in, all of them looked concerned, except Cinder who looked…healthier? "We've got a big problem!" Jaune said. "Yang! Good to see you're up! Anyway, Oscar?"

"I was just contacted by Kali Belladonna who informed me that the New Dawn has attacked Haven in full force."

"What?" Qrow yelled.

"Why?" Mom asked.

"Probably to get the relic themselves. I say that because Kali confirmed that Owain was leading the assault…and fighting. We have to get there, before there's a slaughter!" Oscar said.

"But wait, wouldn't they need Raven for that?" Ren asked.

"Normally yes, though I don't want to take any chances with the Berserker," Oscar said.

Yang clenched her fists. _Round three, Owain…_ This time, she wasn't going to get careless. If he was as strong as he obviously was, then she'd have to shift tactics, not play to his strengths; something she intended to do anyways, but she failed to stop herself from charging the last time. That wouldn't happen again. "So how are we gonna get there?"

"Tai should still be in Mistral. I'll call him to make sure, then I'll port us over to him, then we rush to Haven," Mom said. She took out her scroll and made the call. "Tai! Are you still in Mistral?" A moment of silence went by. "Good! We'll be right over!" She hung up, drew her sword, and opened up a portal.

Mom rushed through the portal. Yang could see dad handing out supplies in a rundown part of Lower Mistral, through a gap in the portal. He turned around as they all walked through.

"Raven? Uhh," Dad said, acknowledging the presence of the crowd following her through her portal.

"We have a situation. Haven's been attacked, and we need to get there immediately." Mom said.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Slow down. _What?_ " Dad said. Everyone around him looked concerned.

 _That's right_ , she remembered. Everyone here had been worried about a war breaking out and now it seemed like their fears had just come true.

Oscar walked forward. "The governor has attacked Haven alongside the New Dawn. I don't need to tell you what their ultimate purpose is. If you're free, we could use the extra set of hands."

Dad nodded. "So, what's the game plan?" he crossed his arms.

"We'll split up into teams, to cover each section of the academy. We should try our best to avoid Owain for the moment until we reduce the numbers of the enemy. The less forces between us and Owain the better." Oscar said.

"That'll have to do," Mom said. "We can't waste anymore time, and to be honest, we'll have to improvise the rest." Everyone nodded. "Any airship nearby?"

Dad pointed behind him. "Yeah. I paid the pilot to standby since I intended to move in and out of Upper and Lower Mistral and taking those damn elevators in the mountainside is a pain. We can take that."

* * *

Ghira rushed over to the huntsmen who charged at Owain and pushed both of them out of the way, barely dodging the downswing of the man's blade, himself. He turned to him, staring into the blackened sockets of the helmet as Owain strode forward at a brisk pace, his hand around the hilt of his blade, no fingers placed around the trigger. Owain raised his blade again—this time at him—as he dodged to the side, again barely avoiding the swing downward, though he heard the screams of people behind him having taken the hit from the blast of aura. "Please, governor, we can talk about this! No more people need to die!" He turned to Sage. "Go! Help the others!" Sage nodded and rushed off.

"I have no patience for those who strive to throw themselves in the line of duty but are unable to make the necessary sacrifices. This is _battle_ , dear headmaster! People die! Such is the inevitable inclination of warriors. To do otherwise is to be a coward." Owain said as he lifted his sword again though kept it in the air, withholding another downward stroke.

"So is that what this is about? Some sick and twisted ideal of what a warrior _should_ be? You attack an academy of children just to force your deranged views on them? No, you're not that stupid," Ghira growled as he cracked his knuckles. "You're making excuses!"

"Ha!" Owain barked. "Well said! I simply state what it is to fight. To waste your effort protecting others, when you should _strike_ me down!" He brought his blade down _hard_ , as Ghira dodged to the side again, the ground cavitating open a few feet from the sheer force of the swing. _Such strength!_ Ghira thought. He turned back to Owain as he brought his sword to his chest—horizontally—motioning another swing as he swept it in his direction, though he ducked just in time—another shockwave of aura ripped through the air over his head.

Ghira charged in with a loud roar as he crashed his fist onto Owain's armored chest with a deafening _thud_ as his blow made no purchase save for a dent in his armor. He prepared to dodge away, though he felt a surge of power emanating from the governor as his own instincts _screamed_ for him to run away—and he did just that as an upward swing came from the man—this one sending out a vicious wave of force that cut through many of his students in one flesh-sundering slash. He forced the deaths of his students out of his mind as he _insisted_ that his mind stayed focused on the monster standing before him.

"For someone who's—and I'm assuming here—been cooped up in an office for quite a while, I'm surprised at how agile and strong you are," Owain said, as he stopped his stride, and brought his sword closer to his chest again—diagonally this time—as he prepared another swing.

"I'm no slouch, though you're right. These last few years of peace have definitely dulled the senses," Ghira responded. _Why is he wasting time? Why not just kill me? Why not just charge in and kill me and the others?_ He thought.

"Peace often dulls the senses. Absent of any conflict and challenge, people often lack reason to live," Owain let his sword arm fall to his side. "Not to say that peace doesn't have its virtues, but rather, that it has the habit of reminding people that they clamor for something greater."

"These students _have_ a purpose! They exist to protect the world from the grimm, to keep the peace!" Ghira shouted.

"And how often have the grimm posed a threat in recent years?" Owain asked. "What happens to the academies when their purpose is fulfilled? Can you change their goals on a whim? Their desires? So quickly?"

Ghira didn't have an answer to that. And why would he? That wasn't _his_ purpose lately. He looked into Owain's eye sockets again. Is he really a madman solely interested in violence? That didn't seem likely considering his disinterest, despite his words. And despite the deaths of his students he had to admit that the governor had mostly retaliated thus far; he hadn't personally initiated an attack yet that was intended to kill—it was only ever half-hearted swings and collateral damage. Even he could tell that the damage from his swings were not from intent, but rather his sheer strength. Then there was the fact that Owain had let him run away earlier. "What are you after? _Really_? Why come here yourself? I'm disinclined to believe that the New Dawn couldn't have attacked themselves. I don't see how you make a difference here considering the nature of the vault."

"As I said before." Owain continued his walk again, though his sword remained at his side, no guard up or anything, as the explosions, gunfire, clattering of steel against steel, and the screams of battle around the both of them raged on.

"You mentioned a girl before. Who were you referring to?" _By more time, just a little more until reinforcements come!_ He thought, trying his best to keep his hurried senses to a calm so as to not betray his intentions, as such, he kept his guard up, claws ready to dig in to the governor's armor.

"Yang Xiao Long. Do you know her?" His continuing stride forced Ghira to take equivalent steps backward.

"Yang?" He said, surprised. "Why are you interested in her?" He continued his physical exchange with the man—one step forward for Owain, one step back for him.

"The girl has a _flame_ within her that she is ignorant of. A _burning_ flame destined to tear apart anyone reckless enough to tread in front of her. We are…kindred spirits—she and I! I intend to show her that, though first I must awaken the terrible beast raging within."

"And for what?" Ghira said, another set of steps backward, maintaining the distance. _That's it, keep him talking._

"Enough! This chat is beginning to bore me, you're not really interested in this. Now, are you going to strike or not?"

He clenched his teeth. _Damn! He's seen through me!_ He didn't have a choice now. He charged in for another attack—a pounding fist into the same spot he hit earlier, and then a swipe of his claws at his helmet, making a clear set of scratches across it, then he leaped backward to safety—gauging, preparing for the man's response.

"Not bad, Ghira, not bad." Owain put a hand to his chest, feeling the dent on his armor, a dent that was easily noticeable despite the dark colors of his attire. "You may be getting old, but the strength of your youth still clings to you. _Again_!"

Ghira growled. "No, you know what! Enough of this. Either strike me down now or cease this madness! Quit playing games!" He wasn't stupid. He didn't know who this man really was, or how powerful he was, but Ghira wasn't a fighter, not _really_. He fought to protect his loved ones, but he was a lover of peace at heart. As such, whatever strengths he _could_ have, he didn't. He knew he was outmatched here. He had to play to his strengths. The governor commanded the forces of the New Dawn, all he needed to do was find a way to bring him to the table, _without_ handing over the relic. Either that or die with dignity— _trying_ his best to accomplish his job as headmaster. And at this point, he didn't have any options left to keep the man from moving on to more of his students.

There was a pause. A dreadful pause as Owain clearly stared him down through the sockets of his helmet, sword still held to his side, completely unguarded. Ghira's heart pounded, sweat ran down his face. Then, Owain raised his sword and…sheathed it. He strode forward again though clearly intending to pass right by him. Ghira said nothing and simply let him pass. Though as the governor passed him, he turned to him. "I don't understand you."

Owain said nothing. He kept walking, deeper into the battlefield. Ghira took this opportunity to check around for Sage, and bolted toward him, to help with the battle. He could only pray that his students bore witness to what had transpired and would steer clear from the governor, while also hoping that the governor maintained his seeming reluctance or laziness—whatever it was.

* * *

Kali ran down the hallway of one of the buildings, trying to get the rest of the students from out of the dormitories. The ground shook again, as the ceiling slowly collapse. Another set of missiles were fired in their direction though she was fairly certain they didn't land a good hit. The whole situation was bad, _really_ bad. _Ghira, please be okay!_ She thought. Kali turned one of the corners and found a group of students confused and worried. "Hey! Get your weapons and get ready! We're under attack!"

"Professor Belladonna?" One of them said.  
"You heard the lady!" Neptune said.

"Stay under cover, keep each other safe, and don't take any unnecessary risks! We're not fighting grimm this time!" Kali said. They all nodded and broke away. What would this attack mean for the school? For Mistral? For the _world_? The government of Mistral attacked its own academy with the clear purpose of taking the relic, something the other governments and militaries were aware of now. The sheer range of possible consequences were not lost to her. She tried to push away the thoughts of the inevitable response.

She continued down the hallway, checking each room to ensure no students were left behind or trapped. "Neptune, Scarlet! Cover the rooms to the left, I'll check the ones on the right!"

"Yes ma'am!" They said in unison, scrambling down the left side of the hallway, opening each door, and thoroughly checking each room as she did the same. As she checked one after the other, pulling aside debris, using dust to clear away fire, checking closets, she found nothing except a few students who didn't make it. Many of them had apparently lost their lives from the initial attack on the building. After a few minutes of rushing, the three of them bolted down the hallway and turned another corner, and into another hallway.

As they ran down the hallway, a squad of New Dawn troops intercepted them and opened fire though before any of them could react the dust bullets fizzled out of the air. Stunned, the troops looked at each other, then attempted to fire again though nothing happened. Kali could swear the shadows grew longer as the troops were thrown aside, no longer an obstacle.

"What the hell was that?" Neptune asked.

"No clue," Scarlet said.

"You should head toward the southern airship landing," A voice said, seemingly out of nowhere.

Kali looked around, then turned around, only to see a man shrouded in black, accentuated with white and gold—face covered with a grimm-like mask though oddly different. The only visible portion of his body was his short, black, spiky hair. "Who are you?" She yelled as her guards aimed their weapons at him.

"My name is Nero. I don't believe we've formally met," He said with a deep voice, raising both of his hands as if to surrender. "I mean no harm."

 _Nero?_ "And where do your loyalties lie? Are you a huntsman from another academy? White Fang?" Kali said.

"I'm an acquaintance of your daughter. I lead the Black Claw," He said.

Her eyes widened. "The Anti-White Fang group? So you're my daughter's enemy then?" She yelled, aiming her pistol at him.

"Yes and no. Our relationship isn't important at the moment. You need to get to the southern airship landing. It's been cleared of enemy forces, and Blake—along with her lieutenants—will arrive there to assist the school." He turned around and dropped his arms. "You shouldn't encounter anymore resistance. Hurry, they'll arrive in three minutes. After that, I can't guarantee your safety."

"And how do I know this isn't a trap?" She said.

"You don't. Besides, if I wanted to kill or capture you, I could've used the element of surprise—which I willingly surrendered—to do so," He said. "Go, hurry. And give Blake my regards." Before she could respond, he walked into a darkened section of the hallway, and seemingly vanished. She put her gun down.

"Well, do we take the tip?" Scarlet asked.

"Might as well. If he's right we should be able to tell from far enough away based on the airship insignias," Kali said. "Let's hurry to the landing!" The both of them nodded as they broke into a sprint.

* * *

The airship finished its descent down to the landing pad. Blake could clearly see, hear, and smell the signs of battle from the airship. As the airship made its landing, she saw her mother—along with Neptune and Scarlet—rush toward them. "Mom!" She yelled, as she jumped out of the airship. Sun, Ilia, and Adam had followed her while the rest of the forces they brought along went in further to help fight off the New Dawn.

Neptune looked down at his watch. "Three minutes. On the dot."

Her mom ran up and hugged her tightly. "Glad you made it!"

"How did you know we were coming?" Blake said.

Her mom look concerned. "Well, funny you should ask."

"What is it?" Blake said.

"I don't know what's been going on between you and him, but whatever it is, I'm glad for it," Mom said.

"What? Who?" _Oh no_. She had an idea.

"Nero." Mom said.

"What?" Sun snapped.

"Wait, _Nero_ told you we were coming? Nero of the Black Claw?" Ilia said.

Mom nodded. "He did. He saved us, then told us exactly where you'd arrive and when. Seems like the Black Claw is not really the enemy of the White Fang after all!"

Blake's brow furrowed. "Where is he now?"

"Gone most likely," Adam said, clearly frustrated. That caught mom's attention.

"I'll tell you all about it later, mom; right now, we have to help out the school!"

Mom nodded, and together they broke into a sprint back toward the school. _Nero…_ The man's actions were beginning to _really_ get on her nerves. Why not just come out and say whatever it was he wanted? Someone who was supposedly treating her as his enemy _saved_ Mom? _Why_? He _did_ promise not to hurt anyone she cared about but to _save_ them? At this point, she wanted to smack him in his intangible face and chew him out, but first she'd have to find him, and of course, save Haven Academy.

As they sprinted away from the airship, a few missiles crashed into her airship, blowing it—along with the landing—apart. _That was a close call!_ She turned around along with the rest of them, wasting no time to get into the heart of the school.

* * *

Ruby flew down off the airship before anyone else. She could smell the fire and the blood in the air. There were no grimm in sight, though she honestly didn't care about that. She looked back to notice Yang, Dad, Oscar, and Raven heading off toward the courtyard. She stopped in her tracks. She noticed the White Fang ships flowing into the school; White Fang troops stormed deep into the academy. They sure responded quick. Was Blake here?

"Cover the east side of the school, you two!" Cinder said to Emerald and Mercury. The both of them nodded and broke off in that direction.

"We got the west side," Qrow said, motioning to Jaune, Ren, and Nora as they wasted no time sprinting toward the west.

Now that everyone had split up, she decided to head toward the north of the school. With semblance enhanced speed, she flew atop one of the buildings, and parkoured onto one building then another—moving over bits and pieces of debris, avoiding holes in the ceilings, and dodging plumes of smoke and flame which was consuming the academy. As she flew, she looked up to notice several Atlesian-styled airships bearing the colors and crest of the New Dawn firing steady streams of bullets down into practically most areas of the school. The academy was pretty much a complete warzone.

She could feel Morgan's anger boiling up within her. It was a strange sensation. Something that wasn't her anger yet was at the same time. It felt…distant. _Do you mind?_ She knew what Morgan intended. _Try not to kill anyone_ , Ruby responded. And just like that, she lost control. Again, like being in the passenger seat of a car, she watched as Morgan sped down into a group of robots as she viciously sliced through them with the Grimm Reaper. She flashed over to another group of robots, sliced through them, then leaped to one of the strange-looking paladins marked _T-103_ as she let out a hateful roar—cleaving right into its head, though only managed to break its aura. "You think a little aura can stop _me!_ " Morgan roared. She pushed the scythe in deeper, as hard as she could until it sliced through its head. She flew onto the ground behind it as the remnants of its head exploded, the rest of its body falling over limp.

Morgan continued onward as groups and groups of soldiers and machines charged at her. She cut through the robots, used the butt of her scythe along with the momentum from her swings to knock the soldiers out. She spun in a violent whirlwind of rose petals, unleashing wave after wave of force from her sheer aura, slicing through more robots, knocking out soldiers, damaging the larger T-103. The whirlwind ended as she spun like a sawblade right through the left arm of the machine, as she stopped she kicked herself upward onto the machine's head and jammed the sharp end of the scythe into it, jumped down, and watched it explode. She panted. The soldiers that remained cringed backward, they hesitated. "Run." Morgan told them. They didn't respond. " _Run!_ " She yelled. They dropped their weapons and retreated.

 _Time to clear the rest of this area before helping Yang,_ Morgan thought. Ruby agreed. Right now, she didn't want to get in her way, nor did she feel she needed to. Morgan managed to make the effort to avoid killing anyone, and so far, that was good enough. She didn't have a problem being the passenger for the moment.

* * *

Raven dropped onto the ground of the courtyard. Tai, Yang, and Oscar broke away into different. As she rushed forward, sword in hand, she zigzagged around the courtyard at a blistering speed—avoiding a spray of gunfire from one of the overheard airships—as she leaped into the air, spun, and swung her blade at it as a wave of wind magic cascaded through the air, cleaving the airship in two starting at the cockpit—and luckily for the pilots—simply separated them as the airship fell from the sky in twin pieces.

She crashed back onto the ground—no elegance lost—as she scanned the battlefield. Everyone was preoccupied and most of the soldiers who saw her display made the right decision and pursued other prey. She noticed Ghira who was with a green-haired huntsman with a greatsword, fighting off a group of soldiers with little effort, and rushed toward him. He noticed her coming, having wasted no time in tossing her the watch. "Go! Hurry!" He yelled.

"On it!" She drew her sword in a swing, cutting down a few robots in her path, jumped over the lunge of the wolf-like machine—ignoring its appearance and what it meant—as she rushed, ducked, and flew around anything and everything that came her way, cutting down soldier after soldier, robot after robot, as she made her way to the headmaster's mansion. As she drew closer, a chill went down her spine as she looked to her left, locking eyes with Owain. Her eyes widened as she reflexively dodged the sudden swing of his blade and the alarming disappearance of the gap between them. She turned around and swung her blade against his—sparks shooting outward—as she held her ground.

"Oh Raven, it's time for you to show me what you can truly do! Don't disappoint me like last time!" Owain pushed her back, _hard_ , as she mustered more of her strength, trying to keep him from breaking through. She didn't have time for this. She needed to get the relic and get it out. Her eyes flared with the magic of the Spring Maiden as she gritted her teeth and reversed the deadlock in her favor.

"Yes, do it!" Owain yelled, struggling to keep the deadlock even. He pushed back harder, forcing her back again. She propelled herself backward with wind, and swung outward with a wave of cutting wind from her sword as he sliced through it with a side stroke, as he swung again with another side stroke, sending out a powerful wave of force—one she braced for and brushed off as she empowered her sword with a coat of ice as Owain charged her, though before they clashed, Yang intercepted the attack, having blocked his swing with her right gauntlet, the shockwave of the impact blasting out to Yang's left.

"Yang!" Raven yelled. Now she wasn't sure if she _should_ go for the relic. Yang neede—

"Go! I've got this!" Yang said with a smile.

 _Yang…_ Raven clenched her teeth, sheathed her sword, and bolted toward the vault as she shifted into a swift glide, skipping everything in her way. _Please be safe._ She busted through the doors of the mansion and stopped in a skid just short of the statue that marked the way to the vault. She took out the watch and…it was gone?

"I apologize for this, but I can't allow you to go down there." A man's voice said.

She turned around and faced a black-haired man cloaked in black with a grimm mask not dissimilar from her old mask—though it only covered his face—as he held up the watch which laid firmly in his palm. "Who are you?" She gripped the hilt of her blade tightly, her powers still flaring as she channeled magic through her hands and into her sword.

"That's not really important right now. Without this, you can't enter the vault, no? So why don't you walk outside and return to the battle. I'm certain your daughter will appreciate the aid, considering who she's facing." The man pocketed the watch and then stood aside as if allowing her to leave the mansion.

"You really think I'm just going to accept that, is that it? All without a fight?" She yelled as she drew her sword and, in a flash, swung right through him, though she felt no resistance. She spun around to face him. He stood his ground, not making any moves.

"Are you sure about this?" He said, forming a blade of what seemed to be a black and red aura-like energy around his right hand into a rough blade shape; it emitted an audible sound that was a low constant buzz.

She narrowed her eyes at him and stood her ground, putting herself into a fighting stance. _A semblance that allows him to phase through attacks?_ Every once in a while, she came across fighters who had troublesome semblances. Emerald, Adam, _Qrow_. Though considering the circumstances, his was _really_ troublesome. However, she of all people knew every semblance had a weakness. She stared him down as he himself still stood firm, unmoving. She would have to make this quick. _In that case!_ She charged forward and through him again with another slash—a blade of fire dust—as she swung through him four more times, none of them making any purchase as she took one more swing before he raised a hand toward her. Her blade shattered, she jumped back, and stared him down again. _What was that?_

"It's no use. There's no need to get violent. Save that for the troops outside." He said, still standing in place.

She growled, and then formed a coat of magic fire around her sword, swinging it at him in a horizontal motion into a wave of flame as it blazed through the air at him. Like before, it simply passed through him. She didn't have time to try many different tactics, so she simply assumed there was a hard limit to how long he could stay intangible. She released another four waves of magic fire at him—each passing through him—as he still stood his ground. _Semblances required aura, each time he phases_ …she charged at him again—a downward stroke, a side stroke, then an upward one, into another side stroke—each doing nothing.

"A rather basic tactic for one with your experience, wouldn't you say? Though what reason would you have to assume things would be different here?" He said.

She stopped her attack and took a step back. "What?"

"You're assuming that my ability will run out as I inevitably drain my aura, no? This assumes that my power is _using_ my aura in the first place. This is an incorrect assumption, though I understand why you'd make it. Such is the nature of huntsmen and huntresses."

"The only way that'd be possible is if you were using—"

" _Magic_." He finished. "You're right."

"Liar. The only ones who can use magic are the maidens!" Though based on what they were up against, what Oscar had said about Owain, and the four, she'd have to assume they were capable of magic too. If that's the case, then is he one of them? Owain _did_ say the others were around. "Let me guess, you're working with Owain? You're one of the warriors? Which one?"

He tilted his head to the side. "It seems that ignorance isn't as common as I'd expected. Indeed, though I am _not_ working with Owain. We are independent. Though our goals are the same, our methods are quite different. As for your second question. You can consider me the Huntsman."

Owain had mentioned information that he couldn't reveal. He revealed his goals, yet not why he had them in the first place, his ultimate goal. Here the Huntsman himself said that his goal is the same. _What was Owain hiding?_ Perhaps instead of getting to the relic, she could pry some information out of him. Relic versus information. Which was more valuable here? Obviously, if she got the relic than she could use it to just get any information she could gleam from him anyway. Then again, this is assuming she could get to it, and time was of the essence. The information might make all the difference in taking down Owain.

Whatever option she chose, she knew that he wasn't taking her seriously since he had given her all the time she needed to think and plan. She strafed slowly, gauging him. Perhaps she could use his overconfidence. In fact, maybe she could push him, perhaps even beat him. Oscar never warned against fighting the Huntsman. He only remarked on the power of the Berserker. Did that mean he was more vulnerable? Why phase if he wasn't? Could she take one of them down here, by herself? Considering she couldn't even land a hit, she'd had to assume the answer was no, but still! More and more questions kept flooding her mind as she doubled down on the man's patience.

 _Wait!_ She remembered the Huntsman being the one who mirrored the Gift of Knowledge; he had the same power which allowed the vault to be open in the first place. Why stop her then? If his goals were the same, then why not just knock her out or kill her then destroy the Gift of Knowledge? Unless he couldn't? Perhaps the Berserker being the one tied to Destruction gave him that power? _Our methods are different_ , she recalled him saying. What did that mean?

"Find anything? An admirable effort, though it's no use. I can tell you're trying to figure it out, however, I can safely say you won't be able to." The man said, still standing like a statue, buzzing aura blade flowing out his arm.

She gritted her teeth. _Time to experiment!_ It was a risk, a big risk, so she hoped his arrogance would pay off. She slashed through him with a swift movement, spun around, and slashed through him in a blindingly fast triple swing, flew back, took her left hand off her sword, and charged up a ball of ice magic that she formed into a giant javelin as she launched it as soon as it finished forming directly at him. The ground erupted in a whirlpool of ice as she used her power to empower and twist the explosion. _If I keep it going…_

The ground shook, it cracked in places. She put more force into it, trying to extend the duration of the explosion as much as possible. A fog filled the room. The temperature dropped dramatically. She floated down cautiously, gripping her sword with two hands as she moved into a guarded stance, ready to counter. Her instincts flared as she dodged a sudden lunge from the man—with his aura blade extended—as she moved into an upward swing into the man, though it still phased through. The man swung his aura-armed hand out horizontally as she mirrored his attack with her.

Her blade clashed with his. She parried the blow aside and swung through him again. _Damn it!_ She thought. She moved into try another tactic. Force him to attack and land a hit the moment he tries to land a strike. She proved that he _was_ tangible sometimes. They clashed a few more times, each time she took a counter swing at him, though her timing was off each time as she couldn't land a hit quite fast enough. She moved away from him several feet, and held up her blade, ready to go in for another strike, trying to correct her timing in her head. He stood there for a few seconds before kneeling slowly. He placed a palm on the ground.

 _Raven, I need you to run!_ A man's voice said in her head. "What?" She said aloud, jerking her head up.

"You." Nero said.

She glared at him.

"You. Your aura. That shouldn't be possible…" He disappeared! Before she could even react, he reappeared and grabbed her arm. "I see. You're dangerous. Not just you, the other three as well. I can't have such wildcards roaming out and about freely."

"What?" She tried to pull free. _Get out! NO—"_ The man's voice cut off as a shock of pain rushed throughout her body, then vanished as quickly as it man let her go as she stumbled backward. "What did you do?" She yelled.

"Figure it out." The shadows from the corners of the area moved in to him as they shrouded him. Then, they were gone, and so was he. She looked at her arm, the one he grabbed. _What was that?_ She thought. And where did that voice come from? She clenched her fist, then released it, then clenched it again. Whatever that was clearly set the man off. She had to find out what it was. Though that was a problem for another time. He had intended to stop her from getting the relic, yet just left? Her brow furrowed as she walked toward the statue. _Unless…_ Hopefully it was nothing, but he did _something_ to her. She flared her maiden powers again, paranoid. Nope, they were still there. So why leave? She reached it, put in the watch, and took the elevator down.

She walked down the path of the vault though the path did not light up. She rushed toward the door and put a hand on it. Nothing. _That's not good_. She took her hand off and touched it again. Nothing. Once more she did it again. She clenched her teeth. She went over what happened in her head, what Owain said, what Oscar said. The maidens could only open the vaults because they had a piece of power that originated from the warriors. Did it have something to do with the voice she heard? Regardless, she sliced open a portal though nothing happened. She gritted her teeth and assumed that the man had something to do with it. She rushed back toward the elevator. Whatever the man did, she assumed it had something to do with that piece of power. _I need to let the others know!_ And she needed to figure out who that voice belonged to. She had an idea, though she wanted to run it by Oscar first.

* * *

 _Get out of my head!_ Cinder thought to herself, frustrated. She tried to unleash a blast of fire, but the current was weak, and it _drained_ her. Did the machine insert the power wrong somehow? The pain in her head flared as another flashback occurred. A pain in her cheek throbbed as she saw a vision of herself being struck by her stepmother after Ana had told on her that she had been sneaking into the study to read books. _Stop!_ She thought. She gripped her head, the pain flared again as she saw another vision of her past.

 _Why do you reject half of yourself?_ The woman's voice asked.

"Shut up!" Cinder yelled. She ducked from the lunge of the machine, though stumbled to her feet, pain still flaring, though it was a different pain than before—when her power had been taken.

 _When you worked for Salem, how far were you_ really _willing to go for power?_ The woman's voice said again. _You became a complete monster, yet it was only at the whim of another's mercy that you stand here today._

She dodged again and fired off another weak wave of flame. It fizzled out before it reached the machine as she stumbled past another one of its lunges. Where was Mercury? And Emerald?

 _They left on your command, remember?_

"Shut up!" She yelled again.

 _You've been given a second chance. Far more than you deserve. And that was more than just chance._

She growled in anger, trying her hardest to force out the voice. Another vision. One of the funeral of the man who had rescued her. Her father. There, where no one could see she could see the eyes of her new family glaring at her as she walked up to the casket to pay her respects.

 _Do you believe in destiny?_ The voice asked.

Another vision rushed through her mind as she felt the searing pain of Ruby's silver eyes as she yelled Pyrrha's name. She gritted her teeth and bore the pain, trying her hardest not to yell at the top of her lungs. The only thing keeping her alive at the moment were her reflexes, as she kept barely dodging the machine's attacks. _What do you want from me?_ She thought back.

 _You know the answer already. Half a person is half a person. You were never meant to be this way._

"So what am I supposed to do?" She yelled just before ducking another lunge. "Tell me what to do!"

 _Make the choice, Cinder. I won't hold your hand. I've given you enough clues._ She clenched her fists, then gritted her teeth. She stared down the machine that stood close-by, gauging her, strafing side to side as if trying to find an opportunity to pounce. She went over the visions. She went over what the voice had said. _What the hell is supposed to happen, anyway?_ She thought. All she wanted was her powers back. Was that too much to ask?

* * *

Yang pushed against Owain's sword again, keeping him there in another deadlock, all with just her right arm. "Starting off by holding back? Fine by me!" She smiled at him. She mustered up more of her strength and pushed him back. He stumbled a little.

"It's _so_ good to see you again!" Owain said. "Experience any worthwhile struggles in that fortress?"

She smiled. "Maybe. Maybe not. Only one way to find out!"

"Oh, don't play coy with me! You _did!_ I can _feel_ it!"

She scoffed. "Liar."

"Oh, but it's the truth! I know these things."

"What sort of things?" She lowered her guard, putting one hand on her hip and smirked. "Enlighten me!"

He paused. "Does it still burn?"

Her brow furrowed. "How do you know about that?" Coincidence most likely, but considering his interest in her, perhaps it was because he knew something she didn't. Maybe it had something to do with her semblance's wonky behavior lately. Perhaps he had something to do with that? But how?

"Like I said. I know these things." He paused again. "By the way…how do you do your hair?"

That…caught her off guard. "I'm not telling you!" She ran her hand through her hair and threw it up. "It's a secret. Besides, you clearly don't need it." He seriously didn't. This whole situation just took a turn for the weird, but she wasn't wrong. His hair had a sheen to it. It had no split ends, and it was perfectly straight. Not her style, but she couldn't deny the fact that this man took great care of his hair.

"Oh, but I do. It's been hard to take care of my hair, lately. Especially considering my position. I'd rather not skulk around, and I can't exactly waltz right into any old shop," He said. "Perhaps you could…accommodate me?"

 _Is this guy serious? Right now? Here?_ "You're joking, right?" What the hell was up with this guy? She couldn't tell if it was insanity, callousness, or just plain boredom, but to suddenly shift the subject to _hair_?

"No, I'm dead serious. After this, or some time in the future—though as soon as possible—could you perhaps sendwhatever you use for me to try out? I'll reimburse you, of course!"

She was stunned. She had no idea what to say. "Uhh sure, why not." _Should I have said that?_ What if she didn't deliver? Would he hunt her down or something? "Wait! You're not getting out of this! I can't exactly give you my shampoo if you die here, you know?" She shot him a smirk.

"Oh, I'm well aware. I'll take my chances, dear girl. In fact, let me make things interesting. If you beat me but I manage to survive somehow…I'll cut my hair short and give you Lone Talon." He held up his sword.

"Really?" His hair _did_ seem really important to him. She could relate. His katana was certainly cool. Maybe she could give it to Ruby or mom. If she had to cut her hair, though… "Wait, I won't have to cut _my_ hair, will I? What do you get out of this?"

"The joy of having someone around who can push me. Don't worry. I won't ask you to cut your hair. Though now that you mention it…"

"No."

He sighed. "Oh well. Well then, a deal's a deal, no? You win, I survive, I cut my hair short, and you get my sword. And I get a bit of your shampoo to try out regardless of outcome. What do you say?"

"Deal." She gave him a thumbs up.

"Excellent!"

" _Hey!"_ Dad yelled. "What are you doing?"

She turned to him. "Sorry!" She turned back to Owain. "Well, let's get back to it!" She slapped her cheeks, shook her head, and put up her guard. _Here goes!_

"Indeed…" Owain raised his blade up high as if preparing for a downward stroke. He swung it down as she dodged to the side, avoiding the shockwave as she charged at him. He brought his sword to his chest for a horizontal swing—one she ducked under as she crashed her fist into his chest, right on the dent. He stumbled backward, regained his balance with his left foot, and brought his blade upward at her at a blinding speed, as she planted herself firmly in the ground, and blocked the blow with her left gauntlet. Her entire body ringed with a shock of pain as she still took some damage.

"How's that?" She smirked. Holding the blade in a deadlock, though he could have easily pulled the blade back and went for another attack.

He laughed quietly. "Adequate. You didn't need to dodge my blow, and you're eyes aren't red like they were last time. A definite improvement."

"How's _this_ then!" She yelled as she knocked the blade aside, ducked from his retaliatory swing, blocked his follow up swing with her right forearm, knocked the blade aside, and slammed her fist into his chest again causing it to crack, as he stumbled backward again.

"Something's wrong." He said, regaining his footing. He wasn't taking this seriously. His swings were quick and powerful, but he did nothing else. No dodging, no footwork, _nothing_.

She gritted her teeth.

"Your eyes should have turned red by now, what's wrong?" He said, letting his sword fall to his side, again completely unguarded.

She clenched her fist. _What_ was _wrong? It kept doing this!_ Though the burning in her veins had finally dissipated, she still wondered what had caused it. "You tell me! You said you knew things! Talk!" She had begun to think that perhaps he was responsible, though he could be playing dumb. Maybe some sort of game where for some reason he wants her to figure it out.

"Ah, so feisty, yet so empty. Your rage has no foundation. Frustration is quite distinct as an emotion. That won't fuel you," He said. The cracks on his chestplate widened. At least she managed to do some damage.

That much was obvious. Her semblance responded to anger, which was what made her power such a double-edged sword, especially in the past. And now she's up against someone more powerful than her and all he seems to be doing is trying to goad her into that anger. Why? "I'm not that careless, nor stupid. You think I'm just going to lose it at the drop of a dime?"

"No, of course not. Besides, such a thing would only fuel you temporarily. Tell me. What happened in that fortress. What did you fight?"

She recalled what she had learned from Henry Malbec. Should she tell him? What if her sudden plan backfired, and the New Dawn split gets healed before it did any damage to them? Then again, so far, the people who wanted to take down Owain had done more harm to her friends than Owain had. Perhaps… "I fought a machine." She looked over to where Cinder had been struggling against the same type of machine which once held her powers. "That one. Some of the scientists belonging to the New Dawn planned to use it to kill you."

Owain looked over to its direction. "Ah. So that's how they intended to do it." He sighed. " _Wonderful."_

"Wait, you knew already?" She said.

He laughed. "Of course! I'm no fool. Though if they intend to assassinate me, they'd have to try a lot harder than that. Did it give you trouble?"

"It was pretty powerful yeah. Thought I'd die if my friend didn't charge my aura up. Though I took it down. Had it not had the power to put itself back together, I'd have destroyed it easily!" She smiled.

"Glad to hear it, though I wonder. How did your friend charge you up exactly?"

"Let's just say he can do that." She didn't want to give him too much information. Despite his…pleasantness. She couldn't deny that he didn't exactly _act_ like an enemy, save for him knocking her out and attacking the school.

Owain let out a low laugh. "Is that so? Are you sure?"

 _What?_ Of course, she was. What else would it have been? An explosion erupted nearby. She turned to where it came from. The area was surrounded in bright, _burning_ flames she never felt before. As the flames faded, she saw Cinder standing there. There was a slight glow to her, something surrounding her body. The Predator that attacked her was nowhere to be found.

"Now _that's_ a familiar feeling," Owain said. "Forgive me, Yang, but I have another to strike down."

"What?" She said, though before she could inquire further, two familiar clones of light had attempted to tackle Owain. She looked behind her to find Blake, Sun, Ilia, and Adam standing there, having cleared the way. "Blake! What are you doing here?"

"Yang! Glad you're alright!" Blake looked passed her and toward Owain. "You're the governor, I assume?"

"I am. And you are?" He replied.

"Blake Belladonna, High Leader of the White Fang. I will give you ten seconds to surrender and cease this violence!"

"If you intend to kill me, then do it, don't waste my time with nonsense." He brought his sword back horizontally and swung outward in their direction, a fierce wave of power blew past her as she ducked. A force that felt like it crushed the wind itself. She turned around in time to notice the four of them had dodged no problem.

"Well, there's our answer," Sun said, moving into a fighting stance, weapon out.

Though before any of them could attack, an enormous, blisteringly hot cascade of fire billowed out toward Owain, consuming him. "That's for last time!" Cinder yelled.

The flames receded and Owain stood seemingly unaffected—save for his armor—as the heated glow of it faded, as a bright red glow formed around his blade as he swung it upward at Cinder. A crescent-shaped energy ripped through the ground. Cinder dodged in time, though it cut clean through the building behind her and kept going until it exploded into a bright red, shrieking blast of energy which shook the ground beneath them.

 _It couldn't be_ , Yang thought. She had felt a twinge of aura coming from Owain as he did that. She looked at Owain in surprise, though he was gone. She looked over to Cinder who had dodged a thrust aimed directly at her heart as she released another wave of fire, one that consumed him again, though again, he toughed it out as he swung his blade again, unleashing another crescent wave that Cinder and Yang ducked from as it crushed through the buildings it collided with. Another shrieking shockwave exploded outward, shaking the ground, decimating the nearby area.

Owain took something out of his back pocket. A cartridge of wind dust. He slammed it into the bottom of his hilt and pulled the trigger below the guard of his sword, causing a stream of wind to flow through the edge of the blade as the rest of it became engulfed in a blade-shaped whirlwind. "It seems I need to put in a little more effort this time."

Yang put up her guard. _Time to test it out_ …she thought. She wanted to be certain. It was the same as last time, and she was frustrated that she didn't notice it before. "Blake! You ready! Watch out for this guy!" She yelled.

"Got it!" Blake responded.

Yang charged at Owain, ducking the instant he swung his sword, though he parried her fist to the side. She used her momentum to spin around into a roundhouse kick at his head, one he blocked with his hand. She kicked off his arm as another torrent of fire consumed him, though this time the flames swirled about and dispersed by the outward swing of his sword. As the flames cleared, Blake appeared in front of him then dodged outward, creating two clones laced with fire dust as they exploded. The billowing flames moved outward as Adam rushed to intercept them, letting them hit his blade. As the smoke cleared he withdrew his sword at Owain, though Owain dodged just before the hit, managing to get in a thrust into Adam's gut.

"Adam!" Blake yelled.

Adam grunted, his aura dissipated.

"Quite the dangerous semblance you have there, friend." Owain pulled out his sword with a boot to Adam's chest as Adam stumbled back, holding his wound tight.

Yang went in for a series of attacks, finishing with a crushing fist aimed at the cracks of his armor, though her attack was parried again. With blinding speed to match his own, she threw a kick, a set of double punches, a knee to the chest, and a spin kick to the head. Each blow was either dodged, blocked, or parried. She flipped backward and landed into a guard. "What's wrong? You were standing still before, just taking hits! We too much for you to handle?" She threw him a grin.

Owain paused. Then he brought up his sword and swung it, releasing a horizontal wave of wind as he disappeared. She turned to the side, noticing another attack at Cinder, one she was able to avoid as he took another swing at her as she barely dodged it before getting a boot to the stomach, knocking her back into the remains of one of the buildings. Before Yang could react, he had already moved to attack Blake, Sun, and Ilia before his blow was blocked by Dad.

"And who are you?" Owain said. "You look oddly familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Yeah? Well, first time we've met, buddy!" Dad tried to push him back but Owain apparently wasn't messing around anymore as he pushed down harder with a two-handed grip, breaking through Dad's guard. Before he could pull back, he was sliced right down his center, aura depleted.

"Dad!" Yang said, rushing over.

"Dad, you say? How interesting…and how disappointing." Owain pushed Dad aside, and stopped before Oscar, as Oscar put one hand behind his back and stepped into a fencer's stance. Still silent, Owain went in for an overhead stroke, sending out another wave at a distance. The wave he released was twice as powerful—forcing Oscar, Blake, Sun, and Ilia backward—unable to maintain their footing. Yang took this opportunity to throw an explosive punch at him, one he anticipated with a block from his hand. "Do it, Yang!" He held her hand in place just like before as she mustered more of her strength, accompanying it with a crescendoing roar, forcing his hand back, the force of their auras blowing outward like powerful gusts of wind. She felt a weakness in his grip as she forced through it, landing a punch on the crack in his armor, shattering it. The pieces of plate falling to the ground, showing only the blackened garb underneath.

She flipped backward, barely dodging a retaliatory upward swing, and as she landed he was already over her again with a downward swing of his blade. Stopping just short of her, he spun around in a blur and cut through the spray of bullets fired at him from behind, and again in another blur, spun around to return to his downward swing as the blade collided with her gauntlet, sinking into it. In a panic she pushed the blade aside and jumped backward.

Oscar lunged toward Owain and went in for a series of lightning fast thrusts as Owain met each one with a swing of his own before the deadlock ended with the cane shattering, knocking Oscar to the ground. Before he could get up, Owain thrusted down his sword into Oscar's gut. "One final death, then?"

 _Crap!_ Yang thought, rushing over to him, though she was suddenly kicked backward by Nero, having no time to process his appearance.

"Nero!" Blake yelled.

Yang stood up. Nero stood behind Owain. Owain didn't acknowledge his presence. Nero seemed to be staring at her as he didn't move to acknowledge Blake's shout. He pointed a finger at her and…her vision blurred, her head became groggy, and…

* * *

"Yang!" Blake yelled. "Nero, what did you do?" _Please be okay!_ She wanted to rush over but the governor motioned with his blade that if she tried, he'd cut her down. She needed to be smart, she couldn't just rush in.

"Relax. She's asleep."

"Nero was it?" Oscar said, straining from the wound to his gut.

That's right. Oscar was the one who told Yang and the others about that legend. If anyone knew something about Nero it'd be him.

"You are?" Nero said.

"He's the one who knows about us," Owain said. "Though I don't know why you're here. Your interference is greatly unappreciated."

"Ah," Nero said. He raised his hand and slammed it into the ground. Mist spewed forth from the ground, cutting off her view of them. "And I find your attack on the academy greatly unappreciated myself. I'm ending this frivolous battle, _governor_."

Cinder suddenly flew from the building she was knocked through earlier and cleared the mist with the speed of her flight. Gone. The both of them were gone, and… " _Yang!"_ She yelled. She was gone as well. _Damn it!_ She clenched her fists. _Nero, you liar!_ She looked over at Ilia who went over to Adam to care for him. A double set of rushing footsteps perked up her ears as she turned around to address it only to notice Raven and Ruby coming up from behind.

"Everyone alright?" Ruby said, clearly surprised but quick to address Blake's presence.

"We're fine!" Tai said.

"Dad!" Ruby rushed over to him.

Raven looked around. "Where's Owain? And Yang?"

"Gone," Oscar said.

"What?" Raven said.

Tai grunted. "That Nero guy summoned some mist and when it was cleared, Owain, him, and Yang were gone. They kidnapped her!"

Raven and Ruby looked shocked. Raven's brow furrowed, her teeth gritted, as she clenched her fist tightly, tight enough for her nails to probably dig into her skin.

 _Things just got a whole lot more complicated_ …

* * *

Yang woke up from what felt like a deep sleep. She was oddly comfortable. How long was she out? She looked around in a sudden shock—jolting up from the bed to an upright position—clearly remembering that she was supposed to be in the middle of a battle.

"How are you feeling?" A familiar voice said.

She looked over to where it was. There, a man in fine silk robes colored yellow, red, and black sat in a lavish chair, left leg crossed over the other, his right fist holding up his head atop a table to his side. "I hope you don't forgive Nero. That was uncalled for."

She furrowed her brow at the sight of the man's face. His familiar long blond hair, his unblemished oddly familiar face, an emotionless expression, and…his red eyes. "Who…are you?"

"You know who I am." Owain said.

She was going to have a serious talk with Mom and Dad later! "Wha—where am I?"

"Relax, Yang. You're in my mansion. In one of the guest rooms. I can probably guess what you're thinking, and I can emphatically say you're wrong," He said.

"Oh yeah? Then who the hell are you?" She said. It wasn't just his face, his eyes, or the fact that—as far as she knew—his semblance was similar to her own, but his _aura_ …

"I can't say. I will say this. There are a number of things that mark us as the Berserker. Blond hair, red eyes, and a very specific semblance you've no doubt guessed by now, are some of these marks."

 _Wait. What?_

Owain sighed. "Though yours is…depressingly undeveloped."

"Excuse me?" This was a lot for her to handle at the moment. The school was being attacked, Nero appeared, she got put to sleep, she's been kidnapped by someone who could pass as her brother or twin, and now _this_?

"I don't know what you've faced in the past, though I can surmise that you weren't physically pushed to the limit very much, were you? Such is the benefit of having a strong, reliable group of comrades. Unfortunately, this has severely limited you." He stood up. "I have matters to attend to. Feel free to leave whenever you wish. I've given instructions to everyone here to let you have free reign of the place. If you feel the need to stay for whatever reason, please make yourself comfortable." He strolled out of the room before she could even ask anymore questions.

What in the world was she supposed to do now? How long had it been? How were the others doing? She took a deep, tremored breath, and tried to calm her nerves. It was just chaos. A lot of concerns and questions were overwhelming her, but it wasn't something she couldn't handle. She just had to take it one step at a time…


	11. Yang's Arc Chapter 9

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 9 – Unraveling the Mystery**

* * *

Raven clenched her fist as tightly as she could. Gone. Just like that, two powerful enemies had fled and at least one of them had her daughter. And her hands were tied; even though the battle had ended, there were still several places within the academy that had soldiers retreating, robots that kept fighting, and students that needed rescue. Many of the airships that hadn't been shot down flew away, and most of the huntsmen and huntresses in the courtyard were taking care of the wounded and gathering the dead. What was a mother to do in a situation like this? She was certain she wasn't needed at the moment, though she couldn't rescue Yang alone.

She scanned the courtyard. She had seen worse and considering the biggest threat had been here, the place looked surprisingly intact. It was still a mangled battlefield. The torn remains of colossal paladin-esque machines, bisected robots, debris and rubble from shattered buildings, and dead students and soldiers littered the area and from a quick scan it wasn't hard to tell that at least in the courtyard, the academy suffered fewer casualties.

Raven sighed, turning away from the field, and paced back and forth with her arms crossed. Though her eyes were fixated on the ground veiled with the lens of inattentional blindness, she was still aware through her sense of sound. Adam had been conversing with some of the White Fang members, while Blake talked to Ghira. She turned and looked at the courtyard again. It reminded her of some of the raids she used to go on with the tribe, though with less signs of ordnance. She wondered what the casualty ratio was. How many of Haven's were lost versus that of the New Dawn. Some of the dead bore damage that could have only been inflicted by someone with immense strength considering the cleanness of the cuts and she knew exactly who had been responsible. She stared at the ground again; she counted her steps and took a deep, tremored breath.

"Raven…" Ruby said, having walked up to her. Ruby looked deeply concerned. She had put away Full Rose, though it was obvious what she wanted and the both of them were of one mind. However, even with the two of them, even with Morgan's monstrous strength, could they do it?

Raven stopped pacing and turned her head away from her stepdaughter. "Not sure what I'm supposed to do." She looked up at the black clouds in the sky. Some of them were storm clouds though those had moved away further into Mistral. The Huntsman or Owain, it didn't matter. She wouldn't be able to gain ground against either of them, especially not now, not until she found out exactly what was done to her, and how far that went.

Ruby paused. "You could open up a portal to her. We can fight them! I know we can! Besides, we just need to rescue her, we can get out of wherever she is quicker than they could respond, if we can't, right?" Ruby said.

 _Oh, Ruby. If only I had your optimism._ Raven sighed. "I'm not so sure." Though if she had access to her portals, Ruby's plan _could_ work. Both Owain and the Huntsman were arrogant, and they waited. Though before she went into the mansion, Owain had struck first, she got the feeling that had more to do with him being glad to see her as much as that irked her to admit.

"What?" Ruby said, confused.

"Raven!" Tai said, rushing up to her. "We have to go after her! Open a portal!"

Raven looked down at her right palm, opening and closing her hand a few times. _What did he do to me?_ She knew it probably had something to do with that core Oscar spoke about. She still had her maiden powers, yet she couldn't open the vault anymore, but that didn't explain why she couldn't open up a portal back there. She looked at Tai. _Might as well give it another shot_. They didn't have much choice. She couldn't just leave Yang behind.

"Raven?" Tai said.

"Wait, we need to think about this," Oscar said, stumbling up to them as he held his side. "Before we go after Yang, we need to make sure we—" He looked over at Cinder who seemed preoccupied.

"What is it?" Cinder said, noticing the stare. Cinder seemed different. Her expression was more neutral than usual. Typically, she always kept that smug look on her face, yet one would think that she'd either be mad that they couldn't take down Owain, or she'd be haughty as usual.

"Your aura is…different. Familiar." Oscar said.

Cinder looked down at her hand, much like Raven had done before. Something she didn't ignore. "I heard a voice."

 _Interesting._ That provided more evidence for what she already assumed. The Huntsman spoke about the other three and not just her. If _she_ heard a voice, then why wouldn't Cinder? Though why now, and not earlier? What was different now? There was one thing she wanted to confirm before she committed to her assumption. "Was it a man's voice?"

Cinder looked over to her. "You've heard a voice too?"

"I did. I heard a man's voice. He warned me to run while I was fighting the Huntsman." Raven saw Blake jerk her head toward her in response to her words, though returned to her talk with her father just as quickly. "Then he touched me, and the voice vanished. And so did my ability to open the vault."

"What?" Oscar said in shock. "Then that proves it. That aura I felt from Cinder." He looked over to Cinder. "The voice you heard. Describe it to me."

"It was a woman's voice. And it's what we're suspecting. I'm fairly certain the core of power—the Blessing of the Warrior—is responsible for it. I'm sure it was the original Warrior's voice. She kept telling me how I would only ever be incomplete, unfinished, half a person for only relying on darkness. Something she'd say, right?"

"Yeah. It sounds like her. I assumed you've awakened that blessing—heightening and evolving your powers. Though what Raven says about the voice she heard, and now her inability to open the vault…" Oscar said.

"Do you still have your powers?" Tai said to Raven. He seemed out of the loop, and didn't seem to care about the details, but knowing him, he was piecing things together as he heard them.

Raven flared her powers. "I do. The man seemed to notice that I was hearing the voice and touched me. I felt a surge of pain, which I assume was when he did what he did."

"So the Huntsman somehow has the power to seal away the core? Or is it because he's the Huntsman and you're the Spring Maiden? There's a connection there, and we can't rule out the possibility that the man can seal away the rest of the maiden's power to open the vaults," Cinder said.

Cinder was right. Her being the Spring Maiden meant she had went up against the guy who had the power that essentially birthed the Spring Maiden. Though, he could use magic. At least that's how it seemed. He could have lied. It was something worth considering. However, given the fact the man could pretty much teleport, why didn't he touch Cinder the way he touched her? He was intangible, she wouldn't be able to counter, would she? If that's the case, then perhaps he can't do it to the others. "Although we should definitely keep our guard up, I think you in particular should stay away from any shady people till we figure this out. There's no telling who might be the Warrior and if they'll recognize you by your aura."

Cinder nodded.

Ghira and Blake walked up to them. "It seems things are serious, then? I'm not too familiar with what's been going on, but I understand we can't open the vault anymore? Does this have something to do with these embodiments Blake told me about?"

"It does," Oscar said. "We can only hope that whatever the Huntsman did to Raven was not permanent."

"But what about Yang? Why kidnap her?" Ruby asked.

"Perhaps I can give some insight into that," Ghira said. "When I fought Owain, he mentioned that his primary reason for attacking Haven was to acquire the relic so as to prevent Yang from winning so easily. He said something about a flame and wanting to awaken a terrible beast within her. A metaphor I'm sure, but he was clearly interested in her," Ghira said.

 _Yang and me,_ Raven thought. For whatever reason, Owain had an interest in the both of them. Why? She could understand _herself_ since she was the Spring Maiden, but Yang? Maybe it had something to do with her fame, though why just her then and not Ruby or the others?

Blake sighed. "I think it's more complicated than that. It was Nero who knocked Yang unconscious. He said he was ending this frivolous battle before disappearing. Though I do think what you said is important, we can't rule out that Nero kidnapped her and not Owain." Blake said.

"Then there's the fact that based on their short exchange they weren't exactly on good terms," Tai said.

"That's the good news from all this. We have reason to believe that the four warriors might not be aligned. We might be able to use that to our advantage. We don't know what their goals are, but considering Nero had ample opportunity to gain access to the relic, but chose not to, I think it's safe to say the destruction of the relics is _not_ their ultimate goal, and that whatever that goal may be, does not require the relics' destruction." Oscar looked to Blake. "I understand you have the most experience with Nero. Is there anything else you could tell us?"

"Not much. He hates me for whatever reason and wants me to quit being the High Leader of the White Fang. He's intangible, can seemingly teleport, and…knows things. Like, eerie things. Things we assumed would be because he somehow had the Gift of Knowledge, but he doesn't so…"

 _Owain for Yang and me, and now this Nero for Blake?_ Raven wondered what the connection was. The obvious one was their status. The both of them are members of team RWBY. If that was the case… "Ruby?"

Ruby turned to her. "Yeah?"

"Have you encountered anyone mysterious lately?" Raven said.

"Other than the dude on the dust dragon no, why?" She said.

 _That's right!_ "I get the feeling the man on that dragon is one of the warriors." It was just an assumption, but if it _was_ their status, then she had to assume the man on the dragon _was_ in fact one of them.

Ruby's eyes widened.

"I see where you're going with this," Oscar said.

"Yeah. First Nero—the Huntsman—who has an interest in me, and now Owain with Yang. We should at least assume the others would be interested in Ruby and Weiss at least," Blake said.

"I can call Weiss and ask her. See if anyone shady or powerful or whatever has attacked her or something," Ruby said.

"Good idea," Oscar said.

"OH right! My scroll. I lost it back at the fortress!" Ruby said.

"Here." Blake dialed Weiss' number and handed over the scroll, making sure it was on speaker.

"Blake!" Weiss answered, wasting no time in answering the phone.

"Hey Weiss! It's me Ruby, I lost my scroll, can I—"

"Ruby? Are you alright? You guys were in Mistral, are you at Haven by chance?" She said, her voice in a rush.

"Yeah, the battle is over. We won, everything's fine. Look, has anyone creepy, shady, or powerful attacked you recently? Or tried to contact you?" Ruby said.

"What? Not that I can think of. Let me ask Percival. If anyone dangerous was trying to get to me, he'd have handled it. Hang on." There was a pause of a few seconds. "Hey Percival?" Weiss said at a distance, her voice barely audible. "Have you encountered anyone recently that might have had an interest in me for some reason? Ruby's asking." Another pause. "No? Are you sure? Alright." Another moment passed. "Hey, Ruby! Percival says no. Aside from small time thugs, things have been awfully quiet."

 _I wonder…_ "Ask her about Percival."

"What about Percival?" Ruby asked.

"What about him?" Weiss asked.

"Maybe he's the one? Has he done anything shady? Said anything weird? Exhibited any strange powers that—" Ruby said.

"Involve the creation of things seemingly out of nothing," Oscar interjected.

"Involve the creation of things seemingly out of nothing," Ruby repeated.

"No. Percival's been lovely to the whole family. Even father thinks that he's by far the best bodyguard the family has ever had. And not just because of the whole "dealing with threats to the family" thing, but because he goes beyond his duty to help us out."

"What about you?" Ruby's face turned serious. "Does he have an interest in you more than the others?"

"Not really. He's naggy, making sure I'm always on top of things as the President of the SDC, but besides that he spends time with everyone else just as much if not more than me. Ruby, what's this about?"

"Did Winter tell you about the embodiments? The story Oscar told us about?"

"No actually. She only told me a few things about Alexis and him playing politics as usual."

"Well, here's the thing. Owain is an embodiment of Destruction or something. And Nero—leader of the Black Claw—is known as the Huntsman, an embodiment of Knowledge. They're both super strong and super dangerous. So far, Owain is really interested in Yang for some reason, and Nero has a grudge against Blake. We think the other two might be coming after you and me."

 _Left out a_ lot, _but okay,_ Raven thought.

Weiss sighed. "More magic I assume?"

"Yup," Ruby said.

"I'll keep my head up. I'll inform Percival to keep his guard up. Though now that you mention how powerful they supposedly are…"

"Can't you keep it a secret from him?" Ruby asked.

"Why? Percival's fine! If he was in any way a threat to me I'd have noticed it by now. Besides, if I don't inform him, he could die if one of these so-called embodiments attack! And if they're really so powerful, that could put me at a huge disadvantage!"

"She has a point," Oscar said.

"Okay, okay fine! Just…be careful Weiss," Ruby said.

"Don't worry, I will! Thanks for the heads up and keep in touch! Everyone is really stressed out over here and any information I could use can make a difference!" Weiss said.

"Will do!" Ruby handed the scroll back to Blake.

"Hey!" Jaune said, rushing over with the others, following close behind was Kali and the rest of Sun's team, along with Emerald and Mercury.

"Seems like you've cleaned up the rest of the school!" Ghira said.

"Yeah, the rest of the New Dawn retreated, some on foot, the rest on whatever airships weren't destroyed," Qrow said. "Where's Yang?"

Raven sighed. "Owain or Nero kidnapped her."

"What?" Qrow said. "Where are they now?"

"We don't know. Nero disappeared along with Owain. So far, we've figured out that Nero is the Huntsman, and the other two might have an interest in Ruby and Weiss," Oscar said.

"Wait, why would they?" Jaune asked.

"Well, according to Ghira, Owain wants to awaken _something_ in Yang apparently, and Nero seemingly hates Blake and wants to get her to quit. Notice anything in common?" Tai said.

Kali looked over to Blake with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah," Qrow said. "Let me guess, you've already considered the dude on the dragon as one of the warriors, then?"

"Yeah. We have no leads for the one that might be after Weiss, however" Raven said. "But what we do know is that they're not necessarily allies. Nero told me he was working independently from Owain but that their ultimate goal was the same. Right before they disappeared, they talked a little and it seemed like they weren't exactly friendly."

"But why?" Jaune asked.

"No clue," Oscar said. "First thing's first. We need to formulate a plan to rescue Yang. I'm sorry to leave like this, Ghira, but…"

"No worries!" Ghira said. "I understand. Owain—or Nero—has Yang and the governor in particular is quite the threat. Thanks to Nero—enemy or not—the battle ended faster than it would have, especially considering the abominable strength Owain exhibited. We'll clean up here, don't worry."

"Thank you," Oscar said.

"Though before you go, perhaps you could formulate your plan inside my office. There might be something you could use from the inevitable news report that should be coming any time now," Ghira said.

"Good idea," Qrow said.

* * *

Yang got up from the bed. Thankfully everything was intact. Her gauntlets were still on her and extended. Hopefully that meant that not a lot of time had passed. She retracted them into bangles and scanned the room. She wondered who it previously belonged to. She didn't know the extent of the changes to the mansion save for that it was originally just a fancy meeting hall where the council sometimes threw parties for the rich. She walked around the room, knocking over stock picture frames, opening up drawers, and cabinets. The place was empty of everything save the bed sheets which were too rich for her tastes, though they were really comfortable.

She looked down at her right hand. _What are the odds that what he said was true?_ In the last six years, she had bonded with her mom, and hell her mom bonded with Ruby too, though their relationship was a little odd. Now all of a sudden there's this guy that looks—

She shook her head. _Stop it!_ She didn't have time to think about that right now! Yang rushed from out of the guestroom. She looked around the brightly lit hallway as she continued her rush down the red carpeting which accentuated the marble tiling of what seemed to be the second floor. She looked to her right over the fine ornate wooden railing toward the entrance of the mansion—one she recognized from the ball. The brooding gray light from sunlight shrouded in dark clouds was visible through the window panes.

" _You!"_ A familiar woman's voice said.

Yang halted and looked over to the voice. It was Anastasia. She looked _livid_. "What do _you_ want?"

"You _dare_ have an attitude with _me_ after whatever it is you _clearly_ did?" Anastasia yelled.

"What _I've_ done? And what is it that I've done that has you so upset?"

"You stole the Fall Maiden's powers!" Anastasia said, pointing an accusatory black gloved finger at her.

"That _I_ stole? You mean what the New Dawn stole! We simply gave it back to its proper owner." She shot her a smirk.

"Yo–you!" Seems like she hit a nerve. "Proper owner?" She yelled. "Cinder's the one who stole the power! She was never meant to have it! She only ever got it because she was a spoiled little brat who never learned to keep her worthless hands off things that weren't hers!"

"Jeez, you _really_ hate her, don't you? Not sure what she did to you but considering who you're working with and what they've done so far, I'm inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt. For all the bad Cinder's done, she's never experimented on people, nor has she ever turned them into monsters."

Anastasia looked taken aback by her words. "What the hell are you talking about?"

 _Time to have some fun,_ Yang thought as she widened her smirk. Judging from her expression, Yang guessed that Anastasia had been kept in the dark about a few things.

"What's going on out here? Is everything alright?" A man said.

The both of them looked over to him. It was Alexis, wearing his formal military outfit, though without all the medals she'd expect from a colonel of Atlas, though the colors _were_ indicative of the New Dawn. He walked forward, hands clasped behind his back. "Ah, Ms. Xiao Long! The governor has informed me of your stay here and of the rules of such. Please, make yourself at home."

"Yeah about that. About him." She turned to him. _Start off basic and non-confrontational,_ She thought. "Why call him governor? Why not King? That strikes me as odd, considering he took over the country."

"Excellent question. Owain, despite his demeanor, does not see himself as a tyrannical figure. Instead, he insists that his role is one of inspiration and distant management. He often leaves most of the actual policy proposals to me though he does give me input from time to time."

She wondered. She didn't know who Owain was, but if he was what she was concerned about, then she wanted to find out more. She didn't believe his claims about the marks, though she had little reason to assume he was lying. She didn't want to believe the alternative. As far as she was concerned, this was all to find out more about her enemy. She took a deep, tremored breath. "What kind of policies does he ask you to write?"

"Mostly things related to dust trade. Lately, he's been insisting that we lower our dust mining operations here in Mistral. We have a few government-controlled mining operations which thankfully has reduced our reliance on companies like the SDC to fill in the gaps. Though he never pushed the issue when I told him such a policy was a bad idea," Alexis said.

Dust trade? Why dust trade? Why would Owain want to lower the amount of a thing that would only make his forces stronger? Maybe there was some other reason. "Did he ever give his reasoning for those policies?"

"No, though I originally assumed it had something to do with the rise of environmental movements. However, once I got to know the man a little better, I realized he didn't seem the type to be concerned about the environment," Alexis said.

She knew better than to take this man at his word, but she definitely agreed with him there. She knew little of Owain, but from what she gathered so far, he wasn't one to concern himself with politics at all, least of all boring things like dust trade. _I wonder…_ She recalled what she found out about Alexis earlier, though she still had to play her cards right.

"By the way, I must apologize for the attack on Haven earlier." He interrupted her thoughts. "I strongly disagreed with the governor, though when it comes to military operations, he has authority over me," Alexis said.

"Really? You couldn't just tell him no? Don't you have control over the New Dawn?" Yang said. Though as she said that she remembered that Henry mentioned a split in the New Dawn, forces loyal to Owain.

Alexis chuckled a bit. "I assure you once I left Atlas and became a citizen of Mistral, my military experience became useless as a credential. Owain insisted that be the case and I must correct you on another assumption." He coughed, covering it with the side of his fist. "When it comes to the New Dawn I am _technically_ its leader, though it has some powerful benefactors who override me. When I say military, I mean the _Mistral_ Military in its entirety."

Yang's eyes widened. "Wait! The _entire_ military? He has control over it?" That wasn't good. There was supposed to be tension between the two after the coup. How did he get them on his side so quickly?

Alexis smiled. "Indeed. One great thing about being the overpowered brute that he is, is that he is _exceptional_ at making the military buckle. Ordinarily we'd have to keep them well-funded, which we do, but he's practically made the troops worship him by demonstrating his power and promising to make Mistral rise above the world as a force that can't be pushed around by anyone or anything."

She frowned a bit. "A brute, is he? How brutish?"

Alexis' face became stern, almost angry. No, disgusted. "The man's a savage, Yang. Do you know what he did to the Mistral council?"

Yang's heart rate increased a little. "What?"

"He cut them in half one-by-one. None of them combatants, though he insisted that it was punishment for their inadequacy and overreach of power."

"Because they were greedy idiots!" Anastasia cut in. "You know that, Alexis! The council did nothing, except line their pockets with taxpayer money while they regularly insisted on sending huntsmen and huntresses off on stupid missions!" She yelled. "It had been going on since Leo's days. Do you know how many good huntsmen died over such nonsense?"

"I understand that Ana, but murder is not the way to handle that," Alexis said.

"Yes, it is! And it wasn't murder. It was _justice_! Ever since the council died, things have been getting better in Mistral, and we haven't even done much! All it took was to wipe away the filth and like magic, things got better!" Anastasia smiled.

 _Interesting. She certainly looks up to him._ Yang looked back to Alexis. She needed more information. _Time to dig in a little deeper._ She had to be careful with this. All she had to do was fib a little, no big deal. "By the way. Your name. You wouldn't happen to know an Arthur Watts, would you? He said your name right before he died. Cursed you in fact."

Alexis faced her again as he squinted his eyes. She took that as confirmation. "He did, did he? That's right. He was one of Salem's minions. Glad to know he's been taken care of. The man was an infamous, unethical scientist from Atlas _decades_ back that only ever stained the Atlesian military's good name."

 _Now push!_ "I should probably mention the fact that he left behind some of his diaries. He blamed you for a lot of things in them."

Alexis' eye twitched, though barely. "Did he now? What sort of things did he blame me for?"

"Pretty much the collapse of his entire scientific career," She said.

Alexis scoffed. "Of course he did. People like him always blame others for their own faults and failures. Though I'm sure you knew that already."

 _Now grab him by the sack!_ "He also mentioned other things. Old research, a few opportunities, something about a few machines, and car engines, I think? Dust-tuned he called them, but not much else. Guy was pretty boring."

His expression turned dark, though she could tell he was trying to hide it. "Dr. Watts was a scientist who left with a lot of Atlesian secrets to aid Salem in her endeavors. He's done a lot of evil things for his twisted view of science. I wouldn't be surprised if there was something in his research—probably something Salem was interested in—that would have pushed the boundaries of ethics. You know how she was; deceitful, manipulative, a sower of lies, and a divider of people. Salem had tried and tried to divide Atlas, to try and turn the world against them."

The fact that he mentioned Salem and now blames her probably meant that he was beginning to see through her. She needed to pull back a bit. "Yeah. We know that firsthand. She never did anything herself. It was always through manipulating others. Leo, Watts, Cinder…" She sighed. "Well, not that it matters. She's gone now and so is Arthur, so we won't have to worry about any evil scientific experiments running loose."

"Indeed, and we have you and the rest of team RWBY to thank for that," Alexis said, as he put up a fake smile.

"Let me ask you something." Anastasia turned to her. "You guys are supposed to be heroes, _why_ are you helping Cinder? She worked for Salem! She's supposed to be dead! Why give her back her powers?"

 _Damn it! I forgot about that!_ How could she let that slip her mind? It was just a few moments ago! She glanced at Alexis who raised an eyebrow and then threw up a smirk, one that wasn't fake.

"I see someone's been a little naughty. You wouldn't have stumbled upon a place you shouldn't have, right? Is that why you brought up Watts' old research?" He laughed a little. "Now it makes sense." He sighed, haughtily. "You know, politics suits you as well as it does Owain. As great a hero as you are, rhetoric doesn't fit that beauty and strength of yours."

 _Well, he wasted no time in dropping the act,_ she thought as she threw him a glare, though now she wondered why he didn't know that already. She had forgotten it herself, but he should have been in contact with Henry. Did something happen to him? "You're right. I'm no politician. In fact, it's why I went to that fortress in the first place! Needed to save some friends, but while I was there, I stumbled upon your whole operation! Henry Malbec even spilled the beans! Tried to recruit my sister and me to assassinate Owain for you." She turned to Anastasia. "He's playing you. They've all been playing you. When they took Cinder's powers they put it in a machine and intended to use it to kill your boss!"

Anastasia looked shocked at her words. Alexis simply furrowed his brow. "Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb. I know. _He_ knows." _Come on Alexis, let more of your crap come out of that mouth of yours!_

He paused and kept straight eye contact for what seemed to be a good twenty seconds before he spoke up again. "I assume there's some familial relationship between the two of you. Your similarities are too uncanny to ignore. I understand then, why you'd want to protect him, but rest assured, I have no intentions of harming hi—"

"We're _not_ family!" Her heart began to race. _That's not important right now!_ According to him, their similarities were due to both of them being the Berserker and she just had to take his word for it! What else could it have been?

"It's highly unlikely that the two of you are doppelgangers. Sure, there are only so many genetic variations to go around in people before two of them end up looking more alike than siblings despite no relation to each other, but this strikes me as little more than mere coincidence, don't you think?"

Yang looked down in doubt. _Mom and Dad will clear it up, don't worry about it._ She took a deep breath, trying her best to settle the shakiness in her breathing, trying to push out the images of the man's face, eyes, and aura, though she was beginning to feel like a coward. She clenched her fists tightly. "Where is he now? I want to talk to him."

Alexis pointed over to her left, down the hall. "He's in his personal chambers."

"Thank you." She walked down the hallway, bumping Anastasia aside.

"You think you can just walk straight through me—"

"That's enough Ana. Yang is Lord Owain's special guest. She's been given leave of the entire mansion," Alexis said.

"Oh don't give me that! Is what she said true?" Anastasia yelled.

"Quiet down, Ana, don't make a scene. Come inside my chambers and we'll talk this through," Alexis said as Yang kept walking away from the two. She could hear Anastasia growl. A few seconds later a door shut. She assumed Anastasia took up his offer.

She continued down the hallway. It was definitely active. She walked toward a door and stopped just short of opening it. _If only I had my scroll_ , she thought. She opened the door, walked through it, and closed it behind her. It was empty.

Yang scanned the room with her mouth agape. This torn-up pigsty of a room is where he slept? The room was mostly empty save for the poorly made bed, used bed frame, torn and loose wallpapers, and only one working light bulb, though it did have a chair and desk. It reminded her of how she kept _her_ room back when she lost her arm, though with less clutter.

The door opened behind her and her heart started to thump as she got a good look at his face again. "Can I help you, Yang?" He closed the door with his left hand, holding a stack of papers with the other. He walked to the chair and desk near the window, sat down, and began writing.

"What are you doing?" She wanted to try something. They had been casual with each other before. Maybe if she tried it herself before he did, she might be able to learn something.

"Reviewing and signing policy written by Alexis. I don't have the patience for this, but I _did_ take over as governor." He sighed and placed the paper to the side, starting what she assumed was a pile.

"What kind of policy?" She asked.

"Nothing relevant to the two of us, I assure you." He said.

 _You don't say…_ she rolled her eyes. "What do you want? What are you after?" She took another deep breath, still settling the tremors.

"Didn't the little man tell you?" Owain said.

"Little man? Dude, the guy's tall as hell. Anyways, no, I don't think he did." She said.

"I plan to destroy the Gift of Destruction," He said, as he placed another paper atop the stack.

Her eyes widened. " _What_? Why?"

"Can't say." He said.

"What do you mean you can't say?" She raised her voice.

"I can't say. There are certain things not even I am allowed to mention," He said, placing yet another paper atop the stack.

"Says who? A man as powerful as yourself?" She crossed her arms.

"No one. It's a simple agreement between the four of us, though revealing such information _would_ be detrimental. I like you, Yang, though I don't think it'd be smart to speak of such things," He said, placing the pen down, and turning to face her.

She cringed a bit at his face again. "You said we look alike because we're the Berserker…how is that possible?"

"Can't say," He said.

She rolled her eyes again and sighed aggressively. "Is there anything you _can_ say, then?"

"I can assure you that your concerns are unfounded. You and I are connected, Yang, make no mistake, but not in the way you think. Now, my turn for questions. How did you lose your arm?" He said, crossing his left leg over the other.

She looked up at her cybernetic prosthetic. "Made a reckless decision to save a dear friend, an old enemy took advantage and sliced clean through it—aura and all." It's been years and the scars were still there, but barely.

"I see. Also, another question. How is your sister?" He said.

She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"How is she? Is she normal? In despair? Bored? Or…"

No, if he wasn't going to talk, then neither was she. "She's fine. She's Ruby. She'll always be Ruby."

He grinned. "I see."

"What?" She didn't like that.

"Nothing." He stood up. "You should get to training. If you don't intend to check the mansion, I suggest you return to your friends and family and get to pushing yourself. You have quite the chasm to close if you intend to defeat me."

"Care to give me a hint?" She smiled. "Just a little taste of what I can do that I can't already?"

He laughed. "And rob you of the joy of discovery? No, dear girl. You'll figure it out. You've already noticed one of our abilities beyond our omen. Or at least you should have."

 _Omen…_ she recalled him telling her something about an omen. _It's not just an omen anymore, is it?_ Was what he said. His smile widened. She assumed he could somehow tell that she had recalled that particular statement. "Fine. Guess I'll do just that."

"Our deal is still in place, I hope?"

She took yet another deep breath. _He'll just keep denying it, so there was no point in asking him about it. I'll just have to wait to talk to Mom and Dad. Just…relax._ She smiled "Yeah. Can't exactly give you my shampoo, or anything at the moment, but I'll get stronger and beat you, don't you worry."

"Wonderful!"

A noise erupted from outside. It sounded like…voices? "What's going on?"

"That would be the press. The political fallout of my actions has finally arrived," He said, lazily. He sighed. "This is turning out to be quite a boring day."

She looked over at him, no longer keeping the smile she had. "I hope you have a good reason for this. I still have to stop you but…I'd at least like to find out that you weren't just some mad man who loves killing." She hated the idea that her possible brother would be a monster. Friend or foe, she wanted to believe he had noble goals.

He turned to her again, his own smile disappearing. He looked her deep in the eyes. It unsettled her. "I assure you I have good reason for my actions. My attack on Haven was to ensure things wouldn't be too easy for you. You _need_ to grow stronger and having the relic to aid you will simply rob you of opportunities."

"I don't need you to do _anything_ for me! Least of all attacking a school just because you have a sick fascination with me!" That was the last thing she wanted to hear. That an enemy of hers would kill innocent people because of her.

He smiled again. "There they are. Finally, your red eyes come out again."

She growled, extended her gauntlets, and threw a punch at his face. He caught the fist with his left hand. "Now now, what did I say?"

She struggled, trying to push him back again. _I was able to overpower him before, what gives?_ "Shut up!"

His smile widened as he threw her back with a push of his arm. She skidded backward, ready to throw another punch. "Save your strength, Yang. You can't defeat me just yet. If you need motivation, then let me give it to." He shot her a glare and a scowl. "I will hunt you down, nipping at your heels, I will hunt down your friends, your family, and I will bring with me a tide of blood ready to drown you, so fight Yang, fight and grow and _crush_ me!"

A wave of fear washed over her, but she pushed it back with a flare of her rage, a rage she could barely contain as she tried her hardest not to throw herself at him in a futile effort. She knew she couldn't beat him, especially if what he said about her was true. "If you so much as touch any of my—"

"I'll touch who I please, I'll kill who I please, and I will tread where I please. There is only one way out of that simple truth." He kept his glare and scowl focused on her, though it changed to a sly smile, though there was still an intensity to him. "Though I'll be happy to make an exception of Raven. Perhaps the two of you could kill me together!"

Her anger flared even more, and it was becoming quite difficult to keep herself in check. _He's taunting you, calm down. Calm. Down._ She knew what she had to do, now more than ever. His attack on Haven was proof enough, but…She stared him down, still trying to keep her anger in check. Trying to keep the balance of fear and wrath from consuming her. Trying to stand her ground.

"Alexis should be addressing the press shortly. I suggest you meet the press yourself," he said, letting his expression relax. Oddly, it made hers relax as well.

"What? Why would I do that? I don't need to address the press!"

"I, the leader of a sovereign nation has attacked his own academy with a mercenary group responsible for a coup. The leaders of the other nations, along with the headmasters of the academies know what that means and will be gearing up for war." He sat back down, crossing one leg over the other again, letting his head rest on his fist. "You, one of four great heroes are in a unique position to play to those tensions and can ultimately decide to plunge the world into chaos or postpone the inevitable. You have a decision to make."

Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then another. She turned around and left the room—paying no mind to Owain—still taking deep breaths, all to settle the tremors in her breathing. She walked toward the voices which were getting louder. As she got closer to them, she noticed double doors baring her path.

"Please, please calm down! Mr. Ravus will be here to address any concerns the people might have, please remain calm!" A voice said.

 _Well…here goes._ Yang thought.

* * *

Blake sat down at one of the crescent-shaped cushioned benches to the right of Dad's desk. They had turned on the news via Dad's scroll—which he had placed on the desk—to wait for Alexis to formally address the attack on Haven. Everyone else had come inside too, though Mom, Sun and his team, as well as Ilia and Adam had stayed behind to help out with the clean-up efforts. The tension in the air thickened. Everyone was impatient. They wanted to rescue Yang, but they still needed to plan that out, and now they were waiting for the political fallout of an attack on an academy. What was going to happen from here? How would the other kingdoms respond?

The image projected from the scroll showed an old man in a black suit trying to calm the press. "That's Owain's butler, I believe," Raven said, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Please, calm down!" The man said. There, Alexis walked toward the podium as the voices roared even louder. He stood upon the dais, and raised his right hand, motioning for everyone to quiet down.

"I understand you all have concerns over the events that had transpired not a few hours ago. So I ask you remain calm and ask your questions one at a time. You there, you first."

"What was the purpose of the attack on Haven?" A faunus woman said.

"Our intelligence within the military had received information that unsavory forces hidden within the ranks of the academy were gearing up for a coup against the current regime. We sent a diplomatic force in an attempt to quell the rebellion peacefully, however things went south, and shots were fired."

Dad slammed his palm into his face and let out an exhausted sigh. "What else was I expecting?"

"Gotta love that spin!" Tai said, as he leaned against one of the many bookcases in the office.

Another man rose up. "What ended the battle? What of the students at the school? How many lives were lost in the crossfire—"

Everyone in the room reacted in surprise and shock as Yang appeared from out of the corner of the camera and walked up to the podium next to Alexis.

"Well, at least we know where she is," Qrow said.

The crowd erupted in questions again, this time at Yang who stood there, and though none of them could tell from the angle, Yang and Alexis were clearly glaring at one another. Yang gestured toward the podium as Alexis responded by stepping aside.

"What is she doing?" Tai said.

"Ms. Xiao Long, do you have any comments about the attack?" Another one of the press said.

Yang leaned forward over the podium as she gripped its sides. Alexis stood off to the side, arms crossed. "He's lying to you. The governor attacked the academy, so he could take the relic inside the vault."

* * *

"Think about what you're doing, Yang," Alexis said.

She turned around and shot him a glare. "I know exactly what I'm doing." She turned back to face the crowd. She trusted her gut. Hopefully, her friends and family were watching so they'd be in the know, though when she thought of that, she began to doubt herself. What if she said the wrong thing? Worded it wrong? What if she made things worse? What if she was the one that sparked this whole war everyone was afraid of?

She recalled Blake's speech toward the press after a similar incident. She spoke clearly, truthfully, and forcefully. She smiled and took a deep breath. "Alexis and the governor wanted to take control of Haven because they plan to invade Vacuo. He wants what's beneath Shade Academy and he wants to destroy it. You all aren't dumb. You know how these things go. Alexis will try to play this down, lie to your face to hide what's really going on, but the truth is the truth, and Haven was attacked for the sole purpose of setting up an invasion of another kingdom."

She took another deep breath. "Tensions are high, I know, but we can't let that divide and destroy us! Our enemy has always been those who lie, cheat, deceive, and divide people who simply want to live in peace, and its imperative—now more than ever—to ensure that the academies are protected from those who mean us all harm! We've worked hard for the peace we're all enjoying, and we can't let the actions of one government shatter that peace!" She took another deep breath. "Thank you." She stepped off the podium, ignoring the tsunami of questions.

She shot another glare at Alexis who simply rubbed his forehead, seemingly exhausted. "What have you done?" He said.

"What you told me. You said politics didn't suit me and you're right! Which is why I'm not playing politics. I'm telling the truth." She said, walking back inside the mansion. She stopped in her tracks. "Unlike you and Owain, the other governments aren't keen on shedding blood." She walked off and quickened her pace to the entrance of the mansion, wasting no time in storming right out. With a fast-paced walk she traveled to the mountain-side elevator near the mansion and took it to the middle part of Mistral which was great for getting around quickly if one didn't want to travel through Lower Mistral or were strapped for Lien.

She found an airship parked by a fueling station which was owned by a team from the Mistral Police Force.

"Hey! Aren't you? You are! We saw your speech! Wa—was that all true?" One of them said.

"Yeah. And I need to get to Haven as soon as possible to help with the recovery," Yang said.

They all saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" They quickly moved to their positions, finished fueling up, and took her aboard, wasting no time in taking the airship up and flying it toward Haven, smoke still rising into the sky. The folks aboard must have been anxious as they piloted the airship quicker than she was familiar with. In short order—less than ten minutes—she had arrived at Haven. They all remarked on the shattered academy; the torn ground, the black bags which held the fallen lined up in rows which filled the courtyard, the pile of scrap metal from the machines, and the mostly untouched mansion which held the headmaster's office and the vault.

The airship landed, and she jumped out, waved the Mistral police goodbye, and walked toward the mansion. She furrowed her brow, took a deep tremored breath—anxious at what was to come—and pushed open the doors. She walked up—at an unusually slow pace, given the circumstances—continued her deep breaths, and pushed open the doors to the office. She was greeted by shocked faces.

"Yang!" Mom said with a fat smile of relief. Dad and Ruby greeted her the same, as well as Blake. The others were happy to see her as well of course—save for Cinder and her group, though Mercury shot her a smirk—but she figured they were still shocked that she was even there.

"Surprise to see me?" Yang said.

"Yeah, we thought you'd been captured! Then we saw the speech and the bombshell you dropped. Didn't think Owain would let you go," Qrow said.

"How did you escape?" Dad said.

"I walked straight through the front door after I gave that speech and headed straight here," Yang said.

"Wait, he let you go? Just like that?" Mom said, surprised.

Yang looked down. _Now's the time…_ "Yeah…He did. Right off the bat, after I woke up, Owain said I could leave at any moment. It was Nero who kidnapped me and Owain apparently didn't like that." She looked to her Mom and Dad.

"What is it?" Dad said.

She took yet another deep breath. _Here goes!_ "Mom. Dad. Do I have a brother?"

Both of their faces—along with Ruby's—lit up with surprise, though Mom was mostly confused.

" _What?"_ Mom asked.

"Where did this come from?" Dad said.

"When I woke up, I saw him." Yang's face scrunched up with worry. "I saw his face. He—" She took another deep breath. "Owain. He looks…well he looks like he could be my brother!"

Dad and Ruby took that as well as she'd thought, though Mom looked even more confused.

"What do you mean he looks like he could be your brother?" Dad said.

"Well, you know he has long, blond hair. He also has the same facial structure as me, has my red eyes, and when we fought him, he had _my_ semblance! Or at least one close to it." _There, I said it_ , she thought.

"That's impossible!" Mom said. "You're the only child I have! What did he say to you? Did he _say_ he was your brother?"

"No, he actually said that the reason we look alike is because I'm the Berserker, just like him, though I find that hard to believe. That's like having two full Fall Maidens, right?" Yang said.

Oscar's eyes widened with shock. "Wait, what? He said _you_ were the Berserker?" Oscar looked down, his eyes indicated that he was recalling something. "It couldn't be. How could I miss that!" He turned around and rubbed his forehead.

"What is it?" Mom asked.

"Blond hair, red eyes…It's just like hers!" Oscar said.

"Who?" Yang asked. Though it took her a few seconds, she came up with someone. "The original Berserker?"

He turned around to her. "Yes. Now that I think on it, she had the same features. I didn't think anything of it before. Why would I?" He said, frustrated. "Blond hair is not exactly rare, and neither are red eyes. Raven has them, Qrow has them—though they're both of a different shade—as well as Emerald's. I didn't think…"

"Wait, wait, wait. How _can_ there be two of them? Isn't Yang right about that? Isn't that like having two of the same maiden?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know, Jaune. I don't know where their powers came from. They were already legendary when Ozma was just a boy. I don't know what the rules are. Though that changes things. If Yang really is the Berserker like he is…" Oscar turned to Mom and Dad. "Are you _sure_ , one-hundred percent positive that there is no way Owain could be your son?"

"Unless a baby spawned in my womb out of thin air while I was asleep and crawled out before I woke up the next morning, I'm _absolutely_ positive!" Mom said. "Like I said before. Yang's the only child I ever gave birth to…"

"Mom?" Yang noticed her shift in expression. Like she was worried about something.

"It's nothing. Except that he looks enough like you that you thought he was your brother. Then there's the fact that he's interested in me as well. Oscar!" Mom said. "Did the original Berserker have the same or similar facial structure to Yang?"

Oscar looked at her, scanning her face. He put a finger to his chin. "Hmm…I don't think so. It could be a coincidence. I wouldn't put too much thought into that. You're certain that Owain can't be your son, and he thinks Yang is the Berserker, though I must admit, her aura is not…the same if you will. Considering what Ghira said about him, we have to assume that whatever this "beast" Owain was referring to, was Yang's nature as the Berserker, and perhaps that it has yet to awaken, whatever that means."

Yang sighed in relief. It all made sense, though she still latched on to his face, along with what Mom had said about his interest in her. But, she believed her. Why wouldn't she? Sure, the old her she'd be skeptical of, but… She sighed again. "Okay, then. Guess I gotta do what he asked. I gotta get stronger."

"Wait, he _wants_ you to get stronger?" Dad asked. "Sounds like a trap. What if he needs her for his plan or something? A little odd that the guy would want someone who has his same abilities to get strong enough to beat him, don't you think?" Dad was apparently taking this whole thing in stride, though she didn't know how much he knew about this whole ordeal. Though he had a point. She just assumed he wanted a good fight, after all, he seemed bored during their previous encounters, and he was always excited to see her. What if all that was only because he needed her for some reason?

"Good point," Oscar said. "Though I don't see much choice. Owain was still toying with us when we last fought. We still have the New Dawn to deal with and I still don't think the maidens will be enough. Then there's Nero. If we try to awaken the other maidens, then we'll need to be careful. We should probably try and find a way to restore Raven, while Yang trains _just_ enough to awaken so that we even out the odds against Owain."

"Wait, what did you mean _restore_ my mother?" Yang said. Did something happen while she was away?

"I'm okay with that," Cinder said. She turned over to her. "Nero. Raven was apparently about to awaken the Blessing of the Huntsman before Nero somehow sealed that away. At least, that's what I'm assuming given she still has her maiden powers but can't open the vault anymore."

Yang looked over to Mom in surprise. "He can do that? Great!"

"Besides what she just said, I'm still capable of putting up a fight, though Nero's a slippery bastard," Mom said.

Blake sighed. "Which is why he's been such a headache lately. Considering how knowledgeable he is, we have to assume he knows what we're planning, and that he knows that Yang is the Berserker. Not only that, but…"

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"So far, we've agreed that the warriors might be after us—team RWBY—though we don't know why. Now we find out Yang is the Berserker, meaning there are two Berserkers…" Blake said.

"You think that this isn't just an exclusive case, then? That—" Oscar looked like he just realized something. His expression became stern just as quickly however. "Yes, Blake, I think you're on to something." Oscar looked over to Ruby. "May I speak to Morgan for a second?"

Ruby's eyes widened, then she nodded in understanding. Everyone else seemed to catch on.

Ruby closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were golden. Those who didn't already know were surprised. "What do you want?" Morgan snapped.

"I—did I do something wrong?" Oscar said.

"Why would you think that?" Morgan said.

"Because so far, you've only been belligerent around people you have issues with," Oscar said.

"And _how_ do you know that?" Morgan asked as she furrowed her brow. "Besides Raven, I don't recall ever being around you."

"I—let's just say that it's an assumption," Oscar said.

Yang rolled her eyes. "You know, I thought you stopped being shady when Ozpin disappeared. Guess you inherited more of him than we thought."

Oscar laughed nervously. "Let's just say I'm familiar with darkness." He looked back to Morgan. "Morgan. Can you tell me exactly when you first appeared?"

"I was always here. I'm Ruby. Well, half of her. She's the light-sided half, and I'm the dark, but I was _always_ here."

"So you were always physically a presence?" Oscar said.

"Well…" Morgan said.

"When did things change? When did you first… "split" from Ruby?" He asked.

"I…don't remember. One day I just…saw things differently. Like I lost control of myself. I remember being mad at myself. At my personality, at my demeanor. Then—in the strangest experience I've ever had—I saw myself walk up the side of a mountain with Raven in search of a grimm dragon."

"And that's when you took control," Mom accused.

"I didn't take control!" Morgan snapped. "If you weren't such a—"

"Hey! Relax!" Yang cut in. "What's done is done!" The last thing she wanted was for the two of them to fight. Although now she wondered—though she didn't want to—if their bond was more because of Ruby apparently being split from her darkside, though as she pondered the thought, she realized it didn't make sense, considering what Morgan had just said. Morgan had split _afterward_. She sighed.

Morgan seemed to capitulate without a fuss. Dad and Qrow sighed in relief. Cinder seemed focused on Morgan. "What's this about? You think we're the Warrior? That somehow us splitting like this is a sign or something?" Morgan asked.

"I only think that because of the nature of choice and how that relates to Light and Darkness. I've never heard of a case like this happening before, and I'm putting the possibility out there. That the nature of this split is an omen of sorts," Oscar said.

An omen of sorts… _It's not just an omen anymore, is it?_ Again, she recalled Owain's words. An omen. Ruby physically split into two literal light and dark-sided halves. "I think you may be on to something."

Oscar turned to her, the others looked to her as well.

"Remember what Owain said to me back when we first encountered him? "It's not just an omen anymore, is it?" is what he said to me."

"You're right," Mom said. "In that case, I'd call that evidence that Morgan's manifestation might also be an omen."

"So if that's true, then wouldn't the other two also have omens?" Emerald said.

"Shadows…" Mom said.

"What?" Blake said.

"His semblance must have something to do with shadows." She turned to Blake. "Based on what Yang said, on what we've discussed, if you're somehow the Huntress, then that must mean his semblance is the same right? What if he just uses it differently? Or has simply taken it to another level?"

"Let's be cautious. In Yang's case, assuming she really is the Berserker—something we have no reason to doubt given the circumstances—her semblance and his being the same could indeed be a part of their power, though we can't be certain this would be the case for the rest, though now that I think of it…"

"What is it?" Qrow said.

"We've already known that the Schnee family line was special. They had the ability to summon glyphs that could do a wide range of things, but most notably, they had the ability to—"

"Summon," Qrow interrupted.

"Precisely," Oscar said. "Which means…"

"There's a pattern there," Jaune said. "Oscar, you said these guys were the embodiments of those values, right? There's a clear pattern here!" Jaune stood up. "You said it yourself. The nature of choice is linked to Light and Darkness; now that Morgan has appeared, Ruby is literally both, right? Thanks to her silver eyes. Then there's Weiss. She can create glyphs, can summon, and she's also a singer which is an artist, and artists are all about creation!"

"I get it. There _is_ a pattern," Qrow said. "Though she's not the only artist around and creating things isn't exactly unique to her. Depends on how you look at it, though considering what we've been through, perhaps this is more than mere coincidence."

"See? Owain said it himself. Yang's the Berserker like he is. Nero's after Blake for some reason, and what other reason if not because she's the Huntress?" Mom said. She turned to Blake. "That's why he wants you to stop! He fears you'll awaken if you don't!"

Blake looked down in thought, arms crossed. "So. What do we do then? What do I do?"

"I think for now, we wait to see how the other nations respond to Yang's speech. If they for some reason gear up for war, then that'll change things," Qrow said.

"Good idea," Oscar said. "Then, in the meantime…" He looked at her, Morgan, and Blake. "I want the three of you to train. Cinder should join in, along with Raven. Maybe we can do something about the seal in the midst of combat. That way maybe we can see if something that might seem like an omen will appear in Blake. The pattern is there, though I think we should be cautious about this."

"Yeah, we can't be certain Weiss and Blake, hell even Ruby are the other three. Technically we can't know what Owain said is even true, though given everything said so far, I don't see why not," Qrow said.

"Let's get to work then!" Yang said.


	12. Yang's Arc Chapter 10

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 10 – Seeing Red**

* * *

Yang cracked her knuckles and stretched as the group left the headmaster's office. Ghira mentioned a training ground on the outskirts of Haven Academy that was out of the way and large enough for their purposes. Jaune and his team decided to go and help out with the rest of the clean-up, while Dad, Qrow, and Oscar planned to stay in a group to discuss politics to the side of the training area when they got to it. That left her, Mom, Ruby and Morgan, Cinder—with Emerald and Mercury tagging along—and Blake to train. She was part excited and part worried. This whole thing was to help her team awaken their powers—assuming they had them—though in her case Owain was convinced she had them. The current group walked out of the office and followed Ghira to the path that would lead to the training grounds.

As they walked, she tuned out their voices. It was mostly Dad, Qrow, and Ghira talking politics. She was more concerned about what was being considered; what her and her team might be. She wasn't sure what to make of it all. Ruby's strange split from Morgan was definitely something to consider, but Oscar himself said he didn't know. They only had Nero's interest in Blake as evidence since they had confirmed him as the Huntsman. Is that enough? Was Nero fearful of what Blake could grow into? That was already a stark contrast from Owain who seemed to be going out of his way to help her awaken her powers. Then there was the fact that they hadn't seen the supposed Warrior in a while. That put a chink in their theory. It was the same with Weiss. Based on what was said, Percival didn't seem a likely candidate for the King.

Though she didn't doubt the possibility of it all. It wasn't like she didn't already know that they were special. Salem had lived for how long? Before anyone could take her down? What made them so special that they could do it where countless others couldn't? The possibility didn't even surprise her much if she was being honest. At least, once she had time to let it settle. She was much more bothered by Owain's appearance than anything else. Well, they were supposed to figure that out now, assuming what Oscar had suspected was true. If it wasn't, then she'd have another mystery on her hands. What were the chances that Mom was lying about having another kid? She didn't want to think about that, though the thought creeped up from time to time and each time she pushed it aside.

The path to the training grounds began at the back of Haven Academy, the side that faced the mountain. It went deep into the mountains, into a cavern within the mountain itself, and continued on into a meadow-like area as they went higher and higher in elevation. There was no storm present and now the sky was just bright blue skies with not a cloud in sight. As they traveled up the path on foot they walked through a canyon until they reached the spot that Ghira had indicated. He insisted that they travel on foot since he claimed the area itself didn't support an airship, at least not with what they had in mind. And based on what she saw, he was right. Before they had continued on their path however, Ghira returned to Haven.

The training area itself was similar to the one Cinder had brought them to before—back in Lower Mistral—though this one was much larger and was placed in an area between the mountains and thus was surrounded by rocks, stone pillars, and quite a few steep falls, though the grounds themselves were level. The area allowed for a range of tactics since one could use the rocks and pillars to shift the battle in their favor if their opponent was mostly a close-ranged fighter or if they were confident in their balancing skills. Either way, this was to be their place for who knew how long while they experimented with the idea that team RWBY could be these warriors, even though Weiss wasn't with them at the moment.

However, she got the feeling that this was for her and would only work for her. She looked over at Ruby—who had taken control again—who seemed to be of a similar mind given the expression she wore. She looked to the center of the grounds as everyone reached it, herself included.

"So, simple sparring matches? No holding back, fight till aura breaks?" Cinder said.

"Fine by me," Mom said, as she crossed her arms.

"So how are we going to do this? Figure out the truth I mean." Blake asked.

"Well, this is to train, but to also help Yang grow to see if she's really the Berserker, right? So…" Ruby said.

"Yeah…" Yang said. "I'll fight all of you." She looked to them sternly.

They were all surprised, though much to _her_ surprise, they took it well. She thought they'd object. "We'll make it a gauntlet of sorts. If I can't continue the fight, then we stop. And we keep fighting even if my aura depletes," She said.

"Wait, isn't that dangerous?" Blake asked. "What if you get badly hurt?"

Mom looked to Blake, then to her. "Are you sure about this? I'm sure none of us will try to kill you but you never know." Mom shot a look to Cinder as she finished.

Surprisingly, Cinder didn't react. "If what Owain said is true, then Yang is our strongest weapon against him. I personally don't care about the relic, though I don't like what the New Dawn represents. As such, we need to push her, not kill her."

"Well, there we have it. No one go easy on me okay! Especially you, Ruby!" Yang smiled at her sister. "Make sure to let Morgan have a shot. Wouldn't want her to feel left out."

Ruby smirked and nodded. "So who fights Yang first?"

"I'll go," Mom said with a smile. "We haven't fought since that tournament! Good chance to see how much you've improved."

Yang returned the smile. "Alright then!" She got into a fighting stance—extending her gauntlets from their bangle form—as everyone else moved away from the center and toward the cliffs where the others were. They both stared each other down as she twitched when her mom slowly moved to draw her sword. In a flash, a slice of wind blew through the air as she took the hit with her guard up, the gust of wind shattered around her. Mom blazed through the air and readied a swing as she switched her wind blade to fire.

Yang crushed the blade to pieces with a punch. Mom flared her maiden powers and reformed the blade into a thick blade of ice and swung diagonally, as Yang blocked. They traded blows—a downward swing rebuffed by a hard block, a diagonal cut parried to the side, an upward swing, another downward swing, followed by a thrust—all three of them dodged, as she retaliated with a fury of her own, throwing a rapid combo of punches and kicks that Mom either blocked or dodged. They continued their even trade, though she was beginning to use her magic as she cut into the ground and sundered it with her sword as she empowered it into a fire magic-fueled swing upward as it ripped through the ground in a fury of heat.

Yang widened her grin and extended her hand, catching the blade in her gauntlet. Mom returned the widened grin with one of her own. She pulled the sword out from her grip and flew backward, landed, and went into an inside right sword stance. She pulled the blade back slowly then in a flash swung three times, each swing unleashing a crescent of ice ripping through the air toward her. Yang punched through the first and deftly ducked to the left through the other two, meeting her mother's charge on the other side with her other fist, bringing it up high to her face. _Crash!_ Her sword cracked, yet reformed. Instead of parrying to the side, the both of them remained in the deadlock, opting to test their strength.

Mom scoffed. "Don't tell me you're holding back just because I'm your mother! Strength is supposed to be your thing!"

She scoffed back. "Holding back? Yeah, I guess you're right. Wanted to give you a fair shot!" She pushed harder, the sword cracked violently. Mom chuckled, mustering more of her strength as she undid the cracks in the blade of ice. Waves of force were starting to emanate outward in the form of powerful gusts of wind as they put more and more of their strength into their frivolous deadlock. _This is how it should be,_ Yang thought. _Just a fun match with no stakes._ Even though this was supposed to test her, it didn't feel that way. They ended their clash and leaped backward only to instantly return to their brawl.

 _No Owain,_ her fist slammed into Mom's blade, resulting in a shockwave. _No killing,_ she threw a hard right punch, then a left kick, followed by a right spinning roundhouse kick, into a left punch—each blow riposted. _No war,_ she met Mom's counters with her own. _No worries. Just me and Mom._ They leaped backward again and charged into a deafening clash, fist against blade. This battle was something she hoped she could have with her sister too. Just a fun match where they pushed each other, feeling the adrenaline flow through their bodies with not a care in the world.

Though this wasn't the time. Her expression changed. She had to get serious now. Mom got the message and ended their exchange as she went into the same inside right stance, waiting for her next move. Yang envisioned Owain standing before her. As she formed the image of him in her head as clearly as she could, she barreled toward her with two shots from her gauntlets into a flying side kick. Mom stopped the kick with the flat of her blade. Yang flipped backward and shot toward her with two swift punches, both of them blocked as she leaped into the air and slammed down into the ground, cracking it into a small crater.

Mom dodged by gliding backward into the air. She slowly waved her hand to the side as a cold gust of wind blew past Yang's feet. She jumped, dodging the flash freeze. She shot a blast to the side, dodging a ribbon of ice, shot downward to avoid a bolt of lightning, shot into a spin kick to counter Mom's sudden charge. A stream of wind, a thin funnel of flame, a ribbon of ice—she dodged with the aid of her gauntlets away from the fury of the elements. She shot her last two shots away from her into a charge straight through a cutting gust of wind, forcing her way past it to Mom and threw a hard punch at her, crashing into the blade, shattering it on impact, though Mom parried to the side at the last moment.

Yang landed on the ground with a crash and ducked below a swing, kicked Mom in the stomach away from her though she simply flew back into another flurry of swings. She let one of them hit her, dodged the other, and blocked the last few strikes, then erupted into her own flurry of blows. They were evenly matched. Even though she had gotten stronger, it didn't matter here as Mom's skill countered her strength advantage. They were stalemated. And the both of them knew it. Mom smiled and leaped back, ceasing her attack. "Guess that answers that. Let someone else have a go for now."

"I'll go next. Rematch from last time?" Cinder said. "I can push her."

Yang grinned; she still had plenty of energy left. "Sure thing!" She looked over to Cinder, who stood confidently, yet seriously. She didn't have her usual arrogance, which surprised her. In fact, Cinder just seemed flat out different for some reason.

"Ready?" Cinder said, dispassionately, as she switched places with Mom.

Yang got into a fighting stance. "On you!" She shot her a smirk.

Cinder's right hand jerked up as a funnel of brilliant flames billowed out toward her as she stumbled to the side. She recovered her footing and fired two shots backward to propel herself to Cinder as Cinder jumped up above. Yang stood there, holding her ground, waiting to counter, though Cinder simply floated there. She aimed her right hand at Yang as a beam of fire streaked toward her, though as she tried to move out of the way, she noticed her feet had been frozen to the ground. _When the hell did she do that?_ The beam consumed her as she felt its heat tearing through her aura as the area around her exploded from the beam.

Yang muscled through the heat, though there was nothing she could do about her aura now that it was almost depleted. She scanned her environment, her vision clouded by the smoke. She had to feel Cinder's aura. _There!_ She threw a hard punch behind her, pivoting into a proper position as it found no purchase. She sensed an aura behind her again and heard the whistling of the air as she ducked beneath a slash from a glowing light that she recognized as one of Cinder's swords. She ducked another swing but was kicked in the stomach. She flipped backward and landed firmly as she raised her fist and with a loud roar, punched the ground as hard as she could.

The impact of her fist devastated the ground, launching debris in all directions, the force of the blow blew away all the smoke clearing up her vision as she launched herself at Cinder who glided away from her. Yang charged at her and corrected her movements with shots from her gauntlets. They clashed in an aerial battle and Yang clearly had the advantage thanks to her semblance, though Cinder returned each blow with a heavy hit empowered by her flames. She quickly realized that even though she had the strength advantage, her aura was still taking minor hits from ricocheting flames. Recognizing this, she forced Cinder down to the ground with a powerful punch—one intended more to move than to hurt—as she launched herself again toward Cinder who landed gracefully on the ground and with the same grace glided away from another ground-shattering punch.

Yang rolled out of the way, predicting—and rightfully so—a billowing cascade of blinding flames as she charged at Cinder. The flames morphed, they _moved_ and twisted over to her. She ducked under them as they swirled around her. Tendrils of fire whipped at her. She swerved passed one, ducked under another, jumped over the third, and slipped between two more as they all then sped at her at once. _Boom!_ The flames crashed into the ground, erupting into an explosion. Her heart pounded _hard_ as she felt a familiar burning sensation. _This…_ The haze wasn't there however as she felt an overwhelming pain shoot throughout her body. The smoke settled, and her heart thumped again even more forcefully. She glanced over to Cinder as she yelled out in pain. Cinder stood there waiting for a response.

"Yang!" Mom, Blake, and Ruby said together.

"Do you need to stop?" Cinder asked.

Yang forced down the yell into a loud growl. "No!" She forced. "Keep…going!"

Cinder was hesitant.

"I said _keep going!_ " Yang yelled out viciously. The pain slowly washed away as she felt her aura regenerate rapidly. She blazed over at Cinder who barely managed to dodge her punch, though she pivoted into a roundhouse kick which collided with Cinder's block, knocking her back into the side of the mountain, ripping apart the rocks. The dust from the shattered rocks blocked her line of sight though she charged at Cinder anyway, pushing through the sudden funnel of flames, and feeling a surge of power as a result. Her veins burned even more, and the pain felt more like pleasure as she slammed her fist down hard into the crater—Cinder clearly dodging—as a much larger crater formed as a shockwave ripped through the air.

Yang leaped out of the dust toward Cinder and threw a flurry of punches, each one being gracefully dodged by Cinder's unfamiliar speed.

"You're all strength Yang, all power. Strength means nothing unless you can hit your target!" Cinder kept dodging each of her strikes. The combo of kicks mixed in with a series of punches, each one releasing massive blasts of aura, though Cinder made sure to avoid to the side of her blows, ensuring none of the waves hit her.

Yang growled and increased the fury of her assault and their speed as well. _What am I doing?_ Each blow still being dodged. She then slammed her fist into the ground again, crushing it apart violently as she then shoved one of the flying rocks to Cinder as she followed up with another charge in the direction Cinder was about to dodge. Cinder avoided the rock, though took the hit from Yang's punch.

Cinder's aura depleted as she was shot outward into the mountainside on the other end. She slammed into it, cracking it on impact as she coughed up blood.

"Cinder!" Emerald yelled. "Yang, that's enough!"

"Yang calm down!" Mom said.

" _Wait!_ " Oscar said.

Yang looked over to them. Dad, Qrow, and Oscar had walked up to them. _What is this?_ She could think clearly, but it felt like everything was red. Her arm started shaking and she found her bloodlust terrifyingly high. She could _feel_ their fear, their worry, and it only made her want to attack. "Guys, this doesn't feel right!" She growled, trying to push back the bloodlust, the burning in her veins, and the pleasure that had previously been pain.

Oscar walked up to her with a dumbfounded look on his face. "This is it! Your aura!" He smiled. "You really are the Berserker! Owain was right…"

For some reason she could barely recognize Oscar. He was there, but it was as if he wasn't. She tried harder and harder to fight back the bloodlust, but it just kept coming back. "Stay back! Don't come closer!"

"What's wrong with her?" Dad asked. She looked over to him and he was there, clear as day, shaded in red.

"I…don't know. However, we need to calm her down." Oscar took out a replacement cane and aimed it at her. "Ruby? Do you mind?" Ruby rushed up beside him. "We need to exhaust her. Don't hit her as it'll only make her stronger." Ruby nodded and withdrew Full Rose, transforming it into dual swords.

"Do it!" Yang roared. Hopefully their plan worked. The sooner this sickening feeling went away the better. She noticed Emerald and Mercury—as well as Qrow—run up to Cinder.

"Are you sure you two got this?" Qrow said, stopping in his tracks.

"Not sure. Though we have Raven, Tai, and Blake to help out," Oscar said.

Qrow looked at her and was shaded red just like all the others save for Oscar who seemed to have been blending in with his surroundings. The others took out their weapons and pointed them at her. The bloodlust became unbearable and she wouldn't be able to hold it back any longer.

"Yang. I need you to trust us. Don't fight it. Let it all out. We can handle it," Oscar said, firmly.

That seemed to trigger something in her as she couldn't stop herself from blazing across the field with a punch directly at his head though he parried her blow off slightly, something he supported with a dodge. She threw two more punches at him followed up by a roundhouse kick, though he dodged each one. Suddenly, she ignored him and went after the others, first unleashing a rapid series of powerful blows—each one unleashing a shockwave—at her sister, then another set to Mom, and yet another one to Dad and Blake, each one avoiding each hit. It was working. The more she attacked, the more she could feel her strength wain, and the more she felt the haze weaken. As she kept attacking, their colors faded, becoming increasingly bland until they were almost unnoticeable, just like Oscar.

She fought and fought for what seemed like an eternity until clarity hit, the colors returned, though they were vibrant this time. Her veins burned, and she could see the crackle of red electricity flow throughout her body as she fell to her knees breathing heavily, completely exhausted.

"Are you alright?" Mom asked.

She struggled to look up. "Yeah, I think so. I…I'm sorry I…I could barely contain it." She kept heaving and heaving. Though she didn't feel as weak as she did back at the fortress.

"What was that about?" Ruby asked. "Do you know what happened with her?" She asked Oscar.

"I…think I know…" Yang said. What she saw, how she saw it. She was all there, though she had little to no control, it was clear what was happening. What came with this power that was now confirmed to be what they suspected. She began piecing it all together. The red eyes, Owain's mentioning of them, the thing that marked the two of them as the Berserker. _That_ was something she now knew was for a fact a mark. _Those burning red eyes…_ She reminisced about the first time she had ever seen a grimm where if it weren't for her uncle Qrow, both her and her sister would be dead.

"Yang?" Dad asked.

"I saw the world the way the grimm do." That was it, she was sure of it. They looked at her with shock. "All of you, were…I could feel your negative emotions, _see_ them. Oscar was…it was like he was blind to me, though the conscious, human side of me could see him clearly. Almost anyway. Then, the rest of you started to get harder to see as you fought me." She heaved between breaths but tried to keep her words flowing and stable.

"That…makes a lot of sense actually," Oscar said. "Remember when I told you all how each of the original warriors embodied the four values humanity was founded on? The Berserker embodies Destruction. The thing that practically embodies the power of the God of Darkness who created the grimm and who see the world the way he does. It's no wonder your power is similar in that respect."

"So what? I'm stuck like this? I have to be like the grimm?" She shouted. She didn't want that. She didn't want to be some monster, some wrathful danger to everyone around her.

"That's not necessarily true," Ruby said. "The God of Light could destroy too. I mean my silver eyes destroy grimm all the time. Destruction doesn't belong to the darkness. There has to be a way to control her power!"

"There is," Mom said. "There has to be. Oscar implied it when he talked about the original Berserker." Mom turned to him. "You never implied with your words that she was a monster who killed indiscriminately like the grimm do. And based on Owain's actions and his behavior, it's clear that control _is_ possible."

Yang felt her chest tighten from the sudden spike of anxiety. Would she become like him? Attacking innocent people? Killing them? Was she destined to become a monster? "Is that true?" She forced out. She wanted to believe the original was kind-hearted and in control despite the bloodlust.

"It is. She was…complicated. No doubt her fierceness had to do with her nature. Like I said before, I don't know the nature nor the origins of their powers, though I can say that there's hope. If she was able to become famous, legendary, rather than infamous, no doubt she wasn't a monster," Oscar said. "Ozpin's memories are clear in that sense."

Qrow walked up. "Cinder's gonna be fine. She's taking it pretty well, though can't say she isn't a bit mad that this is the second time she gets knocked into stone after taking a near lethal hit from the same source of power." He looked at her. "How you doing firecracker?"

She was still heaving, though she forced herself up into a more comfortable position, leaving one knee on the ground, and propping herself up with her other foot. "I'm…good. I'm not in a deep sleep like last time." She looked at her hand, watching the red electricity scatter about her entire body. "Not sure what this is though." She tried to cling to the hope of control. That this would all pass. She wasn't a monster. She wasn't _going_ to become a monster!

"I think it's your aura. It's unusually powerful at the moment," Oscar said. "Based on what happened last time, I think it's safe to say your body was acclimating to your power, and still is from the looks of it."

"Then maybe that's the sign that she can control it," Dad said, though before he could continue, an airship descended. She thought they weren't able to do that, so she assumed something had come up, which seemed to be the case as Ghira himself was standing in the airship, holding onto the railing on the ceiling. They all turned to look at him.

"Dad? What's going on? Did something happen?" Blake asked.

Ghira jumped down as the airship landed in a small, untouched section of the grounds and walked toward them. "An emergency meeting has been called and is going to take place immediately between the headmasters. They will be arriving shortly, and they want to meet with Owain. The council members from the other nations will also be arriving though some of them do not wish to come personally and will instead be communicating via scroll."

"Things are getting bad then? Hopefully they come up with something," Qrow said.

"Hopefully, indeed. I would like for a few of you to accompany me. Blake, your presence will be of great aid given your popularity. I would also like Qrow and Raven to join me since the two of you are legendary fighters yourselves and though Owain is no doubt a threat we shouldn't mess with, I would like for there to be reliable security to prevent any action from Alexis in particular," Ghira said.

Cinder walked up with a slight limp, clutching her arm. Her clothes were in tatters. "Give me some time to change. I want to come with you. Having two maidens at your side is better than one, just in case."

Ghira nodded. Yang assumed this was about Anastasia.

"Alright. We'll wait for Cinder to get a change of clothes then head to the Governor's mansion," Mom said.

"I'll stay here with Oscar and Ruby, help see to Yang," Dad said.

"Shouldn't Oscar come along?" Qrow said.

"I _should_ , however, I want to help Yang for a bit. Perhaps work on something. I'll leave the diplomacy to you guys," Oscar said.

"Then it's settled. We'll stop by your hotel room and wait for you, Cinder," Ghira said.

* * *

Qrow walked down the stone steps and red carpeting with laid the way to the Governor's mansion. Beside him were Ghira and Blake. Raven was on the other side parallel to him, scanning for threats. Seemed like she noticed them too. Those blue and gray armored fellows up on the buildings surrounding the mansion. Cinder walked between the two of them and behind Ghira and Blake. Emerald and Mercury stayed behind per Cinder's orders, though she didn't seem to regret it even though she noticed the danger as well.

Hopefully things didn't escalate. This was it, he could feel it. This meeting would decide whether or not they had another Great War on their hands. He could feel the tension in the air, even from here. Everyone was on edge even more so than before. He looked up, hands in his pockets, at the storm cloud up above. _How long has that thing been there? Dropping no rain whatsoever…_ He thought. The thing was ominous and by now he knew, and everyone else probably did too that it had _something_ to do with the Governor. That, _that_ made him nervous.

They walked inside with the permission of the butler guarding the door. "I'm going to speak to Owain personally. Where can I meet with him?" Raven asked the butler.

"He is currently in his personal chambers. Go up the steps to the second floor and take a left. It is the last room on the right."

"Thank you." Raven turned to face them. "We'll meet up with you guys afterward."

"We?" Qrow said.

"You're coming with me."

"Oh." He assumed she wanted to see for herself what Yang saw. That made him sort of uncomfortable. It's not like he didn't believe her. Hell, even if she lied, Tai himself corroborated her statement. Still, he was going to finally meet the man face to face, rather than as a crow. It just wasn't the same, and furthermore, he might even speak to the dude. He'll get to see for himself just what the man looked like behind the helmet.

They walked up the steps and went down to Owain's room. Ghira, Blake, and Cinder went off into the ballroom where the guests would arrive. When they reached the man's chambers, Qrow opened the door and let his sister through. As they got in, a man with the familiar long blond hair sat in his chair, back facing them. He was writing something. "Glad you could arrive. Don't mind me. I'm merely penning my response to the councils of the other nations as I await their arrival," Owain said as he sighed. "I understand this is a formality, but it's still such a bore. The CCT is up, yet I have to resort to such primitive methods."

"Raven here wanted to see you," Qrow said. The both of them moved closer to him yet kept plenty of space.

"Oh, how that warms my heart," Owain said.

Raven scoffed. "Don't get the wrong idea."

He slowly put the pen down and spun the chair around. He smiled widely. There was something off about that smile. And his _face_. He looked over to his sister and gave her a look. _Now I understand why Yang thought he was her brother,_ Qrow thought as he noticed Raven's shocked expression.

"It…No, it's just the fact you're the Berserker. Nothing more," Raven said.

"Is it that easy for you to push away your concerns? You're right of course," Owain said as his sinister smile widened even more.

"If that's the case, then why are you so interested in Raven?" Qrow asked. _There's something he's not telling us…_

"Do I need a reason?" Owain said.

"Yes," Raven said forcefully. "I really don't appreciate your interest. Either in me or my daughter. So you're going to tell me _why_ you're so interested in the both of us!"

"So forceful! Oh how much good that does my heart." Owain took a deep breath. "Relax. My interest in you is for no more reason than the fact that you are Yang's dear mother. As for Yang herself. She is special to me. You of course already know why."

"That's not an answer!" Raven yelled. "The fact that both of you are the Berserker already makes little sense. That alone can't be the reason why you care so much!"

* * *

Cinder sat down on a cushioned bench in the same place they were before during the ball. Ghira was messing with his scroll as the butler walked up to them.

"Mr. Belladonna? The other headmasters are awaiting your arrival. If you please…" The butler motioned for Ghira to follow him.

"Yes, of course, thank you!" He followed the man. "I'll see you later," He said to Blake as he waved her goodbye.

Blake waved off standing just a few feet from her. She sighed and turned to her. "Guess it's just you and me now." Blake turned her head to the side and she followed with her own look.

She furrowed her brow and to her shame, felt a twinge of nervousness. Anastasia stomped toward them, fuming and bearing her teeth in a rage. She stopped just a few feet from them and clenched both her fists. "The fact that you have the _gall_ to come here!" Ana said.

This sudden meeting was odd to her. She looked at her stepsister, the girl who blamed her for their father's death. That was it, wasn't it? That's all it ever was. Now that she was…whole…she saw clearly, differently. How was she supposed to respond to her now? She was just a frightened woman who knew nothing and still knows nothing of the world.

"You have nothing to say to me?" Ana yelled.

"Excuse me, but maybe you should calm down a little." Blake said.

Ana shot her a glare. "You! Your team is a pathetic excuse for heroes, you know that!"

" _Excuse me?_ " Blake said, angrily.

"You are friends with Cinder now, that is _not_ what a hero would do! Working with _that_ is not something a true huntress would do!" Ana said, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

Blake turned to her. "Who _is_ she?"

"She's my stepsister." Cinder looked over to Ana. "I think you need to calm down. This isn't the time or place for this. And _heroes_ don't act like immature brats about things that happened in the past."

Ana smiled a hysterical smile and rushed up to her clearly intending to take a swing though Blake moved in between them. "You need to calm down!" Blake said. "This isn't the time or place for this! There's going to be a meeting between sovereign nations shortly and we don't need things to get violent right now."

Ana gritted her teeth. "You people disgust me!" She stormed off.

Cinder let out a sigh. _Went better than I thought._ This whole thing was still weird to her. _You're doing well,_ the Warrior's voice said. Cinder looked up as if to acknowledge its nonexistent presence. _I'm surprised you're still here,_ Cinder thought to the voice. "Thank you, Blake." She said.

Blake smiled. "I'll leave you alone for a bit. Gonna take a look around." Blake wandered off.

 _Consider it therapy,_ the Warrior said.

 _So, what do you think of all this? Are there two sets of warriors? Do you think Ruby Rose is your successor?_ Cinder thought, though she hardly expected a straight answer.

 _Can't say. I see through you and only know what you know. Based on that alone, I can only surmise that Ruby's one of the most skilled warriors I've ever seen. Besides myself, of course! As for the idea of two sets of warriors…that's quite literally impossible,_ the Warrior said.

 _Wait, what do you mean?_ Cinder thought.

 _That'd be like saying that there were two of you. Even twins are different. Based on your fight with Yang, she's definitely the Berserker,_ the Warrior said.

 _And Owain?_ Cinder thought.

 _Him too…that's not possible,_ the Warrior said.

 _Well, it clearly is. So obviously you're wrong about all that,_ Cinder thought.

 _You're not understanding me, Cinder. There_ can't _be two of them. The power isn't magic, it wasn't a gift, it is something that comes with birth. It is fundamentally intertwined into the person themselves,_ the Warrior said.

 _So how is Yang the Berserker then? How did the power resurface at all?_ Cinder thought.

 _Thousands of years separate her and Freya. Yang's birth is nothing short of a miracle. She shouldn't even exist to be honest,_ the Warrior thought. _Neither should Owain for that matter._

 _So, any ideas then?_ Cinder thought.

 _That's what I want you to investigate. Right now, Yang and Owain are the only confirmed case. Could you stay by her, assist her? I want to know more,_ the Warrior said.

 _Already planned on it,_ Cinder thought.

 _Good,_ the Warrior said.

 _And thank you,_ Cinder thought.

 _For what?_ The Warrior asked.

 _Nothing, never mind,_ Cinder thought.

* * *

Qrow furrowed his brow. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go on," Owain said.

"Where are you from? What kingdom? Where have you been all this time? Before all this?" Qrow said.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be happy with a non-response. I'm not able to say, unfortunately," He said.

"You sure about that?" Raven said as she crossed her arms. "Seems like you just don't want to say."

"Believe me, in another time, in another place, I would love to reveal everything to you. However, this isn't such a time or place and we have our parts to play upon this farce we call destiny," Owain said. "Besides, you didn't come here for small talk. I assume Yang has begun her training?"

Raven paused. Qrow assumed they were both thinking the same thing. That she should be the one to tell him. "To the point where we confirmed she's in fact the Berserker, if that makes you happy," Raven said.

Owain smiled again. A deep, eerie smile. "Good. That means she's realized it then?"

"Realized what?" Raven asked.

"I'll take that as a no. I was perhaps thinking that…" He looked off to the side. "No, never mind."

Raven growled and placed a hand on the hilt of her blade.

"Raven wait!" Qrow said.

"By all means," Owain said, flatly.

"Owain. Is there any way we could reason with you?" Qrow said, on edge. "We don't need to cause a war! Whatever it is you're after doesn't need to get that violent!"

Owain paused. "It's as I told Yang. I have good reason for my actions, and unfortunately that means I must emphatically say no to such a possibility. Bloodshed, _vast_ bloodshed is inevitable, I'm afraid. Such is my duty, and I intend to fulfill it to the letter," Owain said.

"So it's war, then? There's really no other way?" Qrow said.

"Only one. Awaken the beast within Yang and get her to crush my body and leave it bloodied and broken upon the ground." He looked over to Raven. "Tell her that. There is absolutely no way for her to beat me unless she gives in to it. _That_ you must be aware of by now, no?"

Raven clenched her fist tightly. "I don't believe you."

"You don't believe me because the fact that Yang's power is adjacent to the grimm frightens you but fear not. She will still be her. Who she really is." Owain stood up and walked over to a wardrobe. "I have something for you." He opened it up. Even from the barely visible angle, he could tell it contained his armor and sword. "A gift. In order to make Yang's power grow, you must push her to the brink of death. Or rather, the threat to her life must be real. When it is, her power will grow dramatically. She will awaken more of her own power." He took out his helmet, holding it between his forearm and hip. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting between sovereigns to attend to. Feel free to come along. I'll gladly welcome your presence. Now if you'll be so kind as to allow me some privacy, I must change."

They turned around and left the room, shutting the door behind them.

"That…that was eerie," He said. He turned over to his sister. "Raven…"

"What is it?" She crossed her arms, walked over to the wall left of the room, and leaned against it.

"I need you to look me in the eye and tell me Yang is your only child," there appearances were too alike, though Tai _did_ say there's no way it was possible, seeing the man's face himself made him doubt all that.

Raven looked him straight in the eyes. "Yang is my only child. Trust me, I'm as shaken as you. No, even more so." She looked away. "I was never a good mother, Qrow. You and I almost lost everything yet here we are. Yang and I have bonded, and I can only dream of a time where I never abandoned her, so _believe me_ , that…that bothers the living hell out of me."

Qrow sighed. "Alright. I believe you."

* * *

Ghira walked into the room as he greeted the other headmasters. General Ironwood stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back. Finally, he'd get to talk to the man about Alexis. Though he understood they had more pressing concerns at the moment. Glynda was present and was seated at the large round table with a glass of water placed before her. On the other side of the room was the headmaster of Shade Academy—the absentminded Bran Wisecrow—who as per usual, seemed off in her own world, though her crimson feathered ears did twitch at the sound of him entering.

"Glad you could make it, Mr. Belladonna," Glynda said.

Ironwood looked to his side slightly as if acknowledging his presence, though he immediately returned to his view of whatever was outside the window.

"Ms. Goodwitch! Likewise!" Ghira said. "Now that we're all here, shall we discuss the recent speech from a particular huntress?"

"It was a stupid decision," Ironwood said.

"You know James, it was bound to happen sooner or later, and considering the crap that came out of your former subordinate's mouth, I'm not surprised she said what she did. It _needed_ to be said,"  
Glynda said.

"I wasn't talking about Yang, Glynda." James turned around and walked over to the table, pulling up the chair and taking a seat. "The former colonel decided to play politics in front of someone who knew the truth and it backfired. He relies on spin too much. I've been in touch with Alexis and I've been trying to get him to buckle, to give me _something_ on the Governor." He sighed, placing his right hand on his head as he leaned on it. "Except for a man who swears he's loyal to Atlas—something I would've once believed—it seems he's completely loyal to Owain as he's done _nothing_ I've requested of him." He looked over to Glynda. "What Yang did almost made me jump for joy. The man plays nothing but politics, but now he's been pushed up against the wall. He won't be able to keep lying through his teeth to spin the Governor's actions forever. Sooner or later, we'll have our opening to rid Mistral of its monster problem."

Ghira let out a sigh of relief. "Glad to hear it! However, before we discuss the current politics, there _is_ something else I wanted to ask you about. The messages I've sent you. Did you get them?"

"You mean the requests on grimm activity in our respective regions? Yes, we got them. Glad we did, too." James said. He stood up and pulled out his scroll.

"What do you mean?" Ghira asked.

James messed with his scroll and placed it on the table. "The grimm near Atlas have migrated away to the south. And I'm assuming that the grimm on Anima are migrating west. If not now, then eventually."

"Wait, what? Why's that, Ironwood?" Bran said.

"Did you check the migratory patterns of the grimm recently?" James asked.

"Yes." Bran responded.

"And?" James replied.

She put a finger to her chin. "Now that I think of it…it was a curve. An eastern-leaning curve. Not sure what that means, though."

Glynda's expression darkened. "James. A map if you will."

He nodded. "They're migrating toward Vale." His scroll projected a map showing pockets of grimm activity and just as he said, all the pockets showed a wide variety of movement though the pattern was clear. They were all slowly moving toward the Vale region.

"This is much more serious than I thought. What could be behind this? You don't think _Salem_ is still alive, do you?" Ghira said.

"Not sure. You should run this by Oscar and see what he thinks. He was convinced Salem was gone for good, though we can't be absolutely certain." James said.

Bran sighed. "It's one thing after the other. Now that we got that out of the way, what about the Governor? Do you think he'll go after one of the other relics? Or will he attack Haven again?"

James took his scroll, the map dissipated as a result. "I think we'll get a better idea of that when we personally meet the man. We all went ahead of the councils and they have yet to arrive, though I do own two seats. We'll have to reconvene afterward to discuss the meeting."

"I think I have an idea." Ghira said. He cleared his throat. "While I was traveling here, my daughter told me something Oscar had found out during one of his prior meetings with Owain. Apparently, his true goal is to destroy the Gift of Destruction."

Bran laughed. "So the man's insane! Got it."

"Is he? My spies tell me he was present during the attack on Haven. Did you meet him by chance?" James asked.

"I did. He's…a complicated figure, though I don't think he's insane. Furthermore…I was…told something else by my daughter that relates to the relics. Apparently, Owain is a member of a group of people that originally embodied powers that would eventually become the relics, or something along those lines. The power of the maidens originate from them, hence why they can open the vaults."

James expression darkened, Glynda's remained the same, though Bran just leaned back on the couch she was sitting on and sighed. "Good grief! If that's true, then Shade is next. Well…James, how's your army looking? Think you can kill yourself a governor?"

"You know I can't just attack a sovereign nation like that without provocation! If I did, then Atlas will have been the one to spark this war!"

"She has the right idea, though. If what Ghira said is true, then Vacuo will be attacked. They are perfectly positioned. They can simply head east and bypass Vale in its entirety. They're closer to Vacuo than Atlas is, and now with this grimm news, I'm not sure if Vale would be able to provide a fully supported defense of Shade," Glynda said.

"I'm well aware of that," James said. "Hopefully we can reason with the man. I'll try to push Alexis if need be. If nothing else, I can see for myself if Alexis is loyal to the governor or not."

"What about team RWBY? Why not send them in to take down and capture Owain?" Bran asked.

"We've already tried that, though it wasn't team RWBY," James said. "Unfortunately, Weiss Schnee is not available at the moment, and I'm not sure she will be in time."

"You could just ask her. Is the role of president of the SDC more important than preventing a war?" Bran asked.

She was right. Their options were limited, Owain wasn't likely to see reason, and was frighteningly powerful. As much as their considerations left a bad taste in his mouth, the possibility of simply capturing him or stalling him was their best option considering his role as head of Mistral.

James nodded. "I'll contact Weiss personally and run it by her."

A knock came at the door. The butler walked in. "The councils have arrived, and the meeting will begin shortly. If you are ready, please follow me to the dining room."

They all gave one last look to each other, nodded, got up, and followed the butler off to the designated room which had been on the first floor. Blake walked closely behind as well as Cinder as they entered the large room which had a staircase leading upward to the other floors. In the center of the room was a long, rectangular table covered in dark red cloth with plates and wine glasses prepared, as well as chefs and servants moving in and out placing food and drinks at each of the plates. Most of the councils had already taken their seats, those that chose not to come had their screens set up via scroll at vacant seats beside their fellow members as Ghira walked to the area that designated where Mistral's representative would presumably sit.

He sighed. He'd be sitting next to the Governor himself. He had forgotten about that minor detail. Mistral didn't have a council anymore. He took a deep breath as everyone waited patiently. James sat at Atlas' part of the table directly opposite of him with a stern look on his face aimed at his direction before he noticed Alexis having taken a seat beside him. _This is going to get very awkward very quickly,_ he thought. Bran sat with the Vacuo council, fidgeting with the fork, periodically taking bites of her food. Glynda sat directly to his right with the Vale council, two of their members not present, only having their images projected by the scrolls placed upon the table were they would have been seated. Blake stood off to the side to his left propped up against the wall beside Cinder.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Belladonna. I hope our last meeting has not soured our relationship. I know this must be odd, but please, think about what's best for Mistral," Alexis said.

 _You damned hypocrite,_ He thought as he gave Alexis a smile. "Of course, Mr. Ravus. Consider it all in the past, and rest assured, I'll try my best." Before Alexis could even respond assuming he was even going to, Raven and Qrow descended the steps as they were accompanied by the man himself clad in a fuller set of black armor accentuated with green and yellow, with a short coattail of sorts made of black feathers similar to Raven's own. He wore that fearsome reverse-horned helmet of his, and thankfully he was unarmed. The tension in the air thickened. Ghira looked over at the others and everyone save for Blake, Cinder, himself, Alexis, James, Qrow, and Raven was clearly affected by the man's menacing appearance.

Raven and Qrow walked over to where Blake and Cinder were as Owain stopped right after stepping off the last step of the stairs.

"Good evening, my fellow sovereigns! Good evening, grand headmasters of our wonderful academies!" Owain gestured as if presenting everyone at the table to a crowd of spectators. He sighed deeply. "Welcome to this…zoo of mine, pardon the stench. It's fear I'm afraid." He walked over to his seat as Ghira felt his heart race. "I understand many of you have some concerns about my actions and the recent events that occurred here in Mistral." He stopped, pulled up the chair, and sat down.

"Owain Helios, good to finally meet you in person," James said. He put his hands together, letting each finger slide between the others as he gingerly placed his elbows on the table. "I'll be perfectly blunt. "Your recent actions are more than a concern. For years, the world's biggest concerns were White Fang activity, grimm activity—and though many of us didn't know it at the time—Salem, the leader of the grimm. Then you come along and strike at the very foundations of this hard earned peace. Your coup of Mistral has caused nothing but problems, and frankly, you are the biggest threat the world has faced in six years."

Owain laughed low, and slowly. "It's good to meet a man who knows how to speak properly. I can _see_ through you, General. You've been molded by battle, by fear. You see the world down the barrel of a gun, and I commend you for it." Owain placed his right elbow on the table and slightly leaned in. "What of it? Shall I step down? Will that satisfy you lot?"

"Excuse me?" One of the Vale councilmen said over the scroll. "You don't feel the slightest bit of shame over what you've done? No remorse?" He yelled.

"None whatsoever. Should I? Should I feel guilt for murdering ineffectual savages dressed in fine silks?" Owain said.

Everyone gasped in varying degrees of loudness save for those present who already met the man, though Bran had been indifferent.

"Mr. Helios, please. Let's not let things get out of hand," Glynda said. She turned to everyone else. "Pardon me for not waiting my turn, I'm sure everyone else has a lot to say." She turned back to Owain. "Let's negotiate. No one here is anxious to start a war."

"Very well, then," Owain said, bluntly. He leaned in a little more. "Are you willing to bring me the Gift of Destruction? Are you all willing to fight amongst yourselves, stab each other in the back to get me the relic?"

Bran laughed. "No."

Everyone else agreed in unison, though James simply stared him down.

"Then there will be no negotiations. Violence is the only solution, I'm afraid," Owain said.

 _Damn it!_ "Owain, understand that war benefits no one! Not you, not us, not Mistral." He turned to Alexis. "As I'm sure Alexis will tell you, there's more to life as a leader than war! And whatever it is you want, can be achieved through more peaceful means!"

Owain looked at him though didn't respond. He did sigh however after a long pause. "I tire of this façade." He stood up and everyone tensed up. He walked over to one of Vacuo's councilmen, and in one swift motion, slammed his head onto the table and crushed the life out of him. The room erupted in screams and yells as Ghira and James bolted up out of their seats. "Be quiet!" Owain yelled. His command was enough to silence the room. The tension in the room mutated into outright fear. "Cowards and sheep all of you. How many people do I have to kill, how many academies need their students slaughtered before you muster up some backbone and do what needs to be done?" He sighed again and let go of the man's head and gingerly walked back to his seat, though he didn't sit down.

Ghira looked over to Alexis who looked visibly disturbed, as if he was trying his hardest to stop himself from erupting into a rage.

"I, Owain Helios, Governor of Mistral, Sovereign of this Gods forsaken kingdom, hereby formally give you permission to declare war—casus belli—on the nation of Mistral! Refrain from attacking and mark my words, I will see your nations _burn!_ "

 _Owain, what in the name of all that is good is wrong with you? Why even come here and speak with us?_ He already understood the man very little and now even less so, though that didn't change the fact that he needed to be stopped.

"What are you waiting for?" One of the Vale councilmen said. "You headmasters are trained huntsmen and huntresses! And I recognize _two_ of the four maidens present as well as the other Branwen twin, _and_ one of the legendary members of team RWBY! Take this lunatic down! The world doesn't need to go to war because one nation is led by a despot!"

Said in any other situation about any other man and it would have been the perfect idea. And they all knew it, save for the councils.

"Go. Prepare your armies, march for war, rally your citizens. You have one month to prepare and strike before I launch a full assault on Vacuo," Owain said as he walked toward the stairs and presumably returned to his chambers.

* * *

Owain walked passed her and the rest of her team. "My lord. I want you to give me permission to go after her!" Anastasia said.

"And who are you referring to?" Owain said.

"Cinder Fall, the Fall Maiden."

"Ah yes, sure go right ahead, though I expect success, I hope you understand that."

Hunter twirled Equinox with his right hand. "No worries boss. Taking down a maiden or two shouldn't be a problem."

"I wouldn't underestimate Raven." Owain said.

Raye leaned to the side and crossed her arms. "What's your relationship to her anyway?"

"None of your business," Owain said as he continued his walk to his chambers.

"Well, that's that!" Mazon said. "Guess we have permission!"

"Have you got the gear, Ana?" Hunter asked, stowing Equinox back into its holster.

She nodded and beamed with excitement. _Cinder, it's time I hunted down and killed you myself!_


	13. Yang's Arc Chapter 11

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 11 – A Strange Team**

* * *

Ghira stayed in his seat along with everyone else. There was a long silence. He noticed that no one associated with Owain was present save for Alexis who stood up, bowed, then walked off. Thoughts rushed through his head and he had to settle his nerves. James called some of his guards to remove the body of the dead councilman. That was the second time he had the displeasure to witness the Governor's brutality firsthand. And still he understood little of the man. Why give us one month? The obvious answer was that he wasn't ready to carry out an assault on Vacuo and he needed time to prepare, but if that was the case why effectively reveal his plans by telling them they had one month?

While everyone sat solemnly in silence, he hoped they were coming up with something. He wasn't good at these sorts of things. He had taken a liking to his job as headmaster of Haven Academy and he still had a duty to it. With the current regime no longer recognizing the neutrality of Haven, he hoped the other nations won't follow suit. He worried that if Owain wasn't stopped a month from now they might very well do the same. He rubbed his head as he thought on all the work piling up back in his office. No doubt Kali was doing her best. She had the authority to work in his name though given the attack, she'd be swamped as much as he'd be. Though perhaps he should have more faith in his students.

He pushed out the thoughts. It didn't matter at the moment. What mattered now is that they needed a plan and quickly. Mobilizing a force large enough for what was needed would take time and that was assuming there would be no political red tape stopping them. However, he didn't think they had to worry about that as Owain had killed one of the councilmembers in front of every other councilmember _and_ outright threatened an attack on a sovereign nation. Whatever their plan was, they best play it safe. He cleared his throat. "Shall we speak here or somewhere else?"

"Here is fine. I had some of my officers check the mansion for bugs. None whatsoever." James looked over at Raven and Qrow. They nodded and walked up the wooden-colored tiles and red carpeted steps with the clear intent to keep watch.

"So, what's the plan?" Bran asked. She leaned lazily on the table, her head propped up by her right hand as she fidgeted with the fork in her left. "One month before Vacuo becomes a battleground." She sighed. "Are we in this together or can we formally announce the Second Great War right here and now?"

"I'll have troops put on standby. However, I'd like to deal with this appropriately," Ironwood said. "I'll contact Weiss Schnee, so she can meet with the rest of her team. I propose we have her and the rest of team RWBY, alongside the two maidens already present head-up the assault on Owain. We need only take _him_ down."

Blake stepped up. "I'll have the White Fang assist. Taking down Owain himself is no doubt a clear goal, but I highly doubt it'll be that simple. They will help with minimizing collateral damage and hopefully prevent Mistral from turning into a warzone."

"You've been out of combat for years. Do you think you're up for it?" Bran asked.

Blake nodded. "I'll have to get back into shape but make no mistake, experience like mine doesn't just go away that easily." She smirked.

Ghira remembered the White Fang assisting in the defense of Haven. "Blake, how is the White Fang, if you don't mind me asking? How many casualties did you guys suffer when you arrived at Haven?"

"A few though not many. We caught them unaware and were able to avoid many casualties on both sides."

"Then it's settled! We'll leave the madman to your team!" A Vale councilman said.

"What if they fail? Do we have a backup plan?" An Atlesian Councilman said.

"Assuming they fail—which I don't believe they will—we prepare for the inevitable battle against Owain and his forces," Ironwood said. He looked over to Blake. "I'm sure you and your team know what to do?"

"We do. Don't worry. We won't let the world down!" She declared.

Another thing to worry about. He had the utmost faith in his daughter, but this was an unknown and Owain's freakish strength made his gut churn. If Blake made the wrong move… _No!_ He forced out such thoughts. This wasn't the time and he couldn't let himself be overcome with such concerns. Blake was her own person, the High Leader, and a legendary hero. This is what she does. Whatever happens, happens. The only thing he could do was his part in all this. "I'd like to announce to everyone here that Haven will remain committed to the cause of peace. We face a great evil once again and we will do so united. I will keep in touch with the headmasters as needed and I hope I can expect the same in return."

"Well said," Glynda smiled. "Vale currently faces its own issues at the moment, especially with recent news on grimm activity. However, we will do our best to prepare adequate forces to ensure the breakout of war is minimized regardless, as I'm sure the council will agree."

"Indeed," a Vale councilman said. "This news of grimm activity has me worried however, we _will_ receive a formal report shortly, won't we?"

"Yes, councilman. I'll have the report written up immediately." She looked at the General. "James?"

"I'll send you the data asap," James said.

Just then an Atlesian officer rushed into the room and walked up beside the general and whispered something into his ear. James sighed. "I understand." The officer walked out of the room.

"Something the matter, James?" Bran asked, still completely disinterested.

"Argus had been captured by a force of New Dawn troops not too long ago and they've managed to reinforce it rather quickly. Considering its position and importance to Atlas' economy…" James sighed. "My scouts report they're being led by a group of experienced huntsmen. One of them works closely with Owain."

"Do we know who they are?" Glynda asked.

"I can give you all their names, though I think it'll only be relevant for Ghira as they all hail from Haven. The one that works closely with Owain however is named Anastasia Vest." James looked over at Cinder as he mentioned her name.

Cinder's face was expressionless. "Guess I better go settle this then. I'll assist whomever you send to deal with the New Dawn there."

"Unfortunately I don't have any experienced troops who can guarantee the recapturing of the base."

"Then I'll handle it. I'll make up a small team I think will get the job done," Cinder said.

James nodded. "Then I'll leave you to it." He looked back to everyone else. "Any other concerns or can we adjourn this meeting?"

Everyone nodded.

"Alright then. Let's get to it!" James forcefully stood up and walked out of the room. Everyone began to do the same.

However, Ghira needed to get his thoughts together. There was still the matter of Haven's repair. He sighed. There was suddenly so much to deal with. Though he had to thank James for acting so quickly as he already received a message from him with the files of the huntsmen supposedly holding Argus. "Cinder."

She looked over to him. "Give me your scroll number. I'll be sending the huntsmens' files to you so you know what to expect."

She did so, and he transferred the files over.

* * *

Weiss stormed down the hallway. She valued her family's company, she valued the trust she's built, the fact that she had mended her broken family, she valued the faith her employees had in her, and the fact that she had the opportunity to make the SDC a force for good in the world, but in the end, she was still a huntress, and with this recent news, and Ironwood's request, she felt like she had no choice. No, rather, this was what she _wanted_ to do. The position of President will be waiting for her when she returned.

"Weiss, wait!" Percy said. He was followed closely behind by Klein.

"We talked about this. This is more important than being President." She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. "Even the Board agrees! We're talking about _war_ here!"

"I understand that but…"

"She's right, Percival. Weiss can handle herself," Klein said.

"Look, Percy. I understand you're worried about me and the family, but I have a duty as a huntress. That's still who I am! If Ironwood needs me, if my _team_ needs me, then I can't say no to them. You understand, right? If you had a team like mine, what would you do?"

His faced became sullen. "I…" He sighed. "Of course, Weiss. I understand. There's nothing I can say to convince you then?"

"No, sorry my friend. But this is my job." She grinned.

"Then all I can say is to give it your all!" He smiled. It was forced, but he smiled.

"Percy, did I—"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. I'll hold down the fort as it were."

"Oh, no! You're coming with me! I can't leave my bodyguard behind, now can I? So I suggest you pack your things, because we won't be sleeping much for quite a while and I get the feeling we'll be gone for a bit as well."

Percy furrowed his brow, though submitted. He smirked and shrugged. "Guess I can't say no to you, can I?"

"Good!" She continued her rush toward her room though stopped again and turned to Klein. "Klein! Contact Father. Tell him the company's in his hands till I get back. Also I'm expecting you to get us a fast ride over. We don't have time to waste. I expect everything will be alright while I'm gone?" She beamed.

"Of course, Ms. Schnee. Don't you worry about a thing!"

"Thank you, Klein!"

"Though…" Percy looked concerned.

"What is it?" She said.

"What did the General request of you exactly?"

"He wants me to rejoin my team to help capture or take down the Governor. He thinks it's the best way to prevent a war and I agree with him."

He furrowed his brow. "Are you _sure_ that's wise? The President of the SDC being involved with the capture or assassination of a sovereign leader?"

"I'm a huntress first and foremost. If I _do_ get backlash from my actions, then so be it! Though I thank you for your concern, my actions are my own."

He smiled. It was sincere this time. "Of course. _That,_ I understand."

She smiled back. "I know you're only trying to help, but don't be so worried all the time!" She turned back around and continued off.

* * *

Yang heaved again. "I won't do it. I'd rather not feel like that again!" Why didn't this happen to her before every other times her eyes turned red? What was different now? She was afraid of her anger before so why was she so afraid _this_ time?

"Yang, you can't be afraid. You need to trust us. If you go berserk again, we'll stop you. Don't worry!" Ruby said.

"Berserk? Hey, that's actually a good word for it," Mercury said.

"Probably not a coincidence to be honest. I'd say that's where the Berserker got their name," Dad said. "I agree with Ruby by the way. You can't let this be the thing that finally stops you!"

They didn't understand! It wasn't that easy! She had never felt that way before. So far, the only reason why she returned to normal was because she used up her strength. But considering Owain, it was safe to say that she'd only grow in power, get used to it, in which case it'll probably only get worse. She had dealt with anger issues before, but this wasn't anger. It was more...

"What's wrong?" Oscar asked.

"I…I don't know."

"Yang. You won't lose control," Oscar said.

"I…It's not losing control that I'm afraid of. Sure, it was terrifying at first, but…"

"What is it?" Dad asked.

"What happens when I get over it? When I was going berserk, it wasn't that I couldn't control myself, though…" she shook her head. "My way of viewing the world changed. What if I won't want to control it? What if I end up _wanting_ to kill and destroy?"

"I see." Oscar said.

"She did say she saw the world the way the grimm did," Emerald said. "If that's the case then how do we know making her stronger and training her won't just make it worse?"

She was right. Getting stronger probably meant her bloodlust would only become more of a part of her. A part she won't be able to tuck away. She hoped she was only overthinking it, but she never saw Owain with anything _but_ his red eyes. Though she only ever saw him a couple of times without his helmet. Perhaps she really was overthinking it. And then there's the fact that he was capable of being casual, he was capable of holding back, of mercy if not just simple disinterest. She took a deep breath to settle the tremors.

Dad scratched his head and sighed.

Yang stood up and brushed herself off. She took another deep, long breath, and exhaled. "Alright." Guess I just need to put my faith in them. Hope that she could stay her. "So what now?"

"I think we should rest and wait for the meeting with the councils to end," Dad said. "You guys have been up for how long?"

Ruby laughed a bit. "Yeah. Been up for like a whole day now, I think."

An airship flew over them and landed in practically the only available spot. Those that had gone to the meeting save for Ghira walked out of it.

"Anything happen?" Dad asked.

Mom looked sullen. What happened while they were there? She immediately thought about Owain again and the idea that he might be her brother. Mom's expression didn't exactly ease those anxieties despite her trust in her.

Qrow had put his hand in his jacket, and searched for his flask presumably, but couldn't find it. "Well, let's just say Owain pretty much declared war on the world. He's attacking Vacuo in one month. Everyone there wants team RWBY to take him down."

"How's the training going?" Mom asked.

"No progress so far. Yang is afraid she'll become as violent as Owain." Dad asked.

Mom looked surprised and worried when Dad said that.

"What is it?" Yang asked. What happened there, really? She assumed she saw Owain herself, though why would she bothered by that? "Mom?"

"It's nothing. I saw Owain's face and yeah, it's eerie as hell to look at, but…"

"What?" Dad asked.

"To see someone who looks like my daughter kill someone so callously and easily and then threaten to…" She sighed. "It's not important right now. Cinder's got a plan to retake Argus."

Her concerns about her power flared. Though she jumped at the opportunity to take her mind off it. "What's the plan?"

Cinder walked forward a bit and looked to Blake. "Could you contact Adam?"

"Sure, but why? You want him on the team to retake Argus?" She said.

"Yes, him and Jaune." Cinder looked at Yang. "And Yang too. One way to help her resolve this issue and that's through direct experience. Jaune can help you. Based on what happened before and what happened back at the fortress, it's safe to say this power of yours triggers when you take near fatal damage."

"Owain himself said as much when we talked to him," Mom interjected.

"Then if that's the case, if you truly feel you can't control yourself, Jaune's power will prevent you from taking such damage. Either way, taking back a captured military base with the Berserker on hand will make things easier."

If that was true, then she had no reason to fear, right? "Alright, count me in!" This would be the first time she would team up with Adam though. Even the thought of it was weird, but hey! Blake trusted him now, and she trusted her so what was there to worry about? She waited around while Blake called Adam over. After that, she contacted Jaune as well as none of them had the time to get new scrolls. They decided to meet up in the headmaster's office to discuss a bit of strategy since this would be the first time they'd be fighting together and helping to recapture a base was risky. Cinder herself was worried about a potential trap and she was inclined to agree.

"So what's the plan?" Adam asked.

"Argus has been heavily reinforced, and we can probably expect a lot of dust-tuned. As well as the templar," Cinder said. "Jaune, you're on defense. It'd be best if you got the civilians out and covered our blind spots. Adam can use his Moonslice to take down key enemies like the templar and dust-tuned. Yang can back Adam up on that goal and deal with the small fry as they shouldn't be too much of a threat to make Yang go berserk. Besides that, we'll be dealing with three skilled fighters."

"Got any intel on them?" Yang asked.

"Ghira gave me their files. Hunter Cobalt. The man fights with two pistols and can store up his aura on his opponents when he attacks. It allows him to "build up" his damage into one massive blow whenever he wants. Then there's Raye Amaranth. We encountered her back in that fortress. The girl with the red hair who fights unarmed. She can mark whatever she touches with her aura then explode that mark whenever she wishes. Lastly, there's Mazon Myst. She fights with a sickle and chain and can create barriers and walls, that sort of thing. Apparently, they're my stepsister's old team."

"Well, with the upgrade you have that I've been told about as well as Yang's new growth, and Adam's skills and semblance, I think we'll be fine." Jaune shot everyone a smirk. She found it odd that he was happy with this. He didn't seem to be upset that he'd be working with Cinder. Sure they weren't enemies anymore, but she wasn't sure he's completely forgiven her for what's she's done in the past. What changed, then? Though this wasn't the time for her to be thinking about that. That was all him.

"Yeah about that." Yang didn't want to go berserk in the middle of battle where she could end up hurting her comrades. Cinder said she wanted Jaune partly for that reason, but her anxiety forced her to dwell on it. "Do you think you can look out for me. If my aura gets depleted…"

"Yeah, I got it. I remember what you did back in that fortress. Qrow gave me a quick run down before I got here. Don't worry, I'll make sure to watch your aura at all times and make sure you don't take too many hits."

"Thanks."

"What's this about a trap by the way?" Adam said. "You told me you suspected something like that on the way here."

"Call it a hunch. My stepsister's been awfully quiet. Not that I've been exposed lately, but perhaps taking Argus is more than just a smart strategy to hinder Atlas' economy. And Ironwood confirmed she'd be there. And she knows I have my powers back and she hates that fact."

"Well, if you say so. Are we going to prepare for that?" Adam said.

"Only one way for us to do that. We go in fast and hard!" Jaune said.

Following up on Jaune's statement, they borrowed one of the White Fang's airships since they were armed. Ghira had a few of the engineers quickly hide the White Fang symbol. They boarded it and it shot off into the sky, barreling toward the direction of Argus. The pilot was going full throttle as before any of them knew it, Argus was clearly in sight. Turrets had been reinforced and activated and apparently it was a no-fly zone as there were no other airships and the turrets began unloading at them. Whatever the New Dawn was up to, they somehow had the ability to build rapid forts apparently. Though it wasn't like Argus wasn't defended, this was different, _very_ different. _Or perhaps this has been going on for a while,_ she thought.

"Alright! Are you all ready?" The pilot yelled. "We won't make it slowly!"

"Bring us in!" Jaune yelled back.

Yang held on tight to the ceiling rail as the wind blew through her air, airship barreling straight into Argus doing its best to swerve out of the oncoming fire while returning with its own fire. A close call went by as the side of the airship was scraped by a missile though they managed as the airship made its landing with a hard skid across the ground. Seems like this wasn't the first time the pilot did something like this. She checked up on them as they gave her a quick thumbs up as she nodded and jumped from out of the airship following close behind Jaune, Cinder, and Adam as they rushed straight into the battlefield. Jaune took point using his shield and semblance to give them cover as Adam did his thing, wasting no time in cutting through the soldiers with grace and skill though she noticed he made no fatal wounds. Cinder was clearly guarded, moving slowly and methodically, making no major moves nor noticeable ones. Was she looking for Anastasia?

Yang had to remember Cinder's concerns about dust-tuned as well as one of the templar that could extract maiden powers, though so far, she only saw the New Dawn _and_ Mistral soldiers. Looks like Alexis hadn't lied. She jumped into the fray, slamming her fist down in the center of a group of dug in troops. The ground cracked open, sending large jagged shards of stone and metal out around her. The yells of the enemy soldiers was not lost on her as she buckled and hesitated. She froze.

"Yang!" Jaune yelled.

She got hit— _hard—_ by a rocket. The explosion knocked her into one of the buildings. _Nothing_. She jumped out, shook it off, and charged at the turret, shattering it with a single blow of her fist. _Stay focused!_ She thought. _This is no time to worry about that, Jaune will back you up!_ She dodged a few of the sprays from the gunfire and blazed directly toward the firing soldiers though she hesitated at the last moment. Luckily for her, the blow was still strong enough to take them down.

An alarm went off. She looked off in the far corner of the fortress as a large metal gate opened. Through the gate a squad of dust-tuned stormed toward them. All of them broke into a glide though one of them was cut down midflight by Adam's Moonslice. Cinder created a wall of blazing flame between Adam and the dust-tuned. All of them swerved around the wall toward Cinder. Yang charged at one of them. They saw her and three of them broke off to fight her. She leaped back away from three lance-like projectiles of flame and frost. She jumped between two walls of wind and dodged to the side away from two bolts of lightning.

She glanced over at Jaune who had been empowering Adam as he used Moonslice to cleave through four of the dust-tuned in an instant. Though Jaune was already looking tired as a result. Wasn't he supposed to help her out if she got injured?

"Don't worry Yang! I've got plenty of juice left!" Jaune yelled.

She felt a twinge of shame that her doubt had been _that_ obvious. She pushed it aside and punched a charging dust-tuned in the stomach, launching them backward straight into an armored tank.

"Cinder, Cinder, Cinder. No more games this time!" A voice she recognized as Anastasia's called out.

Yang turned over to her only to notice a translucent wall of some sort having formed between Cinder and the rest of them. She assumed it had been Mazon's doing.

"I don't care how powerful you are or how strong you've become! I'll take your power for myself regardless of what you do!" Anastasia said. She was standing atop one of the buildings surrounded by three other people. A tall green haired man with two handguns, a short pig-tailed girl with a sickle and chain, and a red haired girl who was completely unarmed. "Mazon!"

"On it!" The pig-tailed girl said. Just then, the wall separating Cinder from them grew around her into a wide box. The box then grew bigger and bigger.

Cinder threw up her left hand to expel a blast of flame though as she did a mark appeared on one of the walls and exploded, forcing her away. The box then grew wider and wider until the green haired man jumped down straight into the box through a hole opened up atop it by Mazon.

"You've got nothing to say to me?" Anastasia snapped.

Cinder said nothing.

Anastasia became livid as she took out some sort of cybernetic glove that looked like it had been laced with dust. _That's not good!_ Yang thought. She assumed it had something to do with extracting magic. What else would it do in a situation like this? Cinder seemed to think the same thing as she became guarded, weary. She got into a guarded stance and flared up some of her magic into a small whirlwind of flame centered around her.

Instinctively, Yang ducked from a lightning empowered lunge from one of the remaining dust-tuned. "Cinder! You got this?"

"I'll be fine." Cinder asserted.

There were three remaining dust-tuned that she had to deal with. Adam had dealt with the others and moved on further into the base while Jaune remained in between the two of them trying to stay close to her. She swerved to the side from one of the remaining fighters, ducked under a wind-infused punch, and leaped toward the last remaining fighter—directly over a crystalline flame missile—as she launched herself forward increasing her speed with shots from her gauntlets and before the fighter could react, smashed directly on top of it, crushing its head. Liquid dust spewed out everywhere.

As she crushed it, she flipped backward between two crashing waves of ice and flame, pivoted around and launched herself toward the fighter on her left. The fighter parried her to the side, she rebounded into a spinning roundhouse kick, ducked between the other fighter that came to help out as she punched it back. She exchanged blows—a flurry of combos—with the fighter before she shattered through its guard, launching it into a building, and as she did, she took a hit from the back from a crystalline ice missile. Her aura flickered just a bit. Her hand shook, and she lunged at it though it dodged to the side. The instant it did she launched herself toward it with a shot from her gauntlet and punched it in the gut as a crunch ringed through her ears. It flew back and skidded on the ground—liquid dust almost like blood trailed behind like a scar in the ground.

* * *

Adam slashed through the leg of one of the paladin-esque machines, sheathed his sword, pivoted around and shot it out onto the head of one of the soldiers; he flashed over to it, grabbed it, pivoted around again and in a rapid succession of slashes, sheathing, and drawing, cut down a line of robots and soldiers. He zigzagged through the suppressing fire of the turrets placed up above a small tower and dived into the tower's shadow. He sheathed his sword, turned around and blocked some gunfire and charged up Moonslice, unleashing it upon a charging dust-tuned, splitting it in half as its dust-made body cracked and spewed into liquid. The only remains being the armor that it wore.

This was alright, wasn't it? Soldiers serving a potentially-genocidal lunatic hellbent on conquest? Soldiers who probably swore loyalty to this man who was an ally or an acquaintance of Nero? He knew he was trying to justify it. It's what he always did. Especially back then. He gritted his teeth as he fought. _Another thing to seek forgiveness for,_ he thought. It seemed the soldiers were trying to focus on him. He dodged a spray of gunfire, spun around and sliced through the leg of a leaping wolf-like machine, ducked under the lunge of another one, and in three swift draws of Wilt and Blush, sliced through one of the machines. The other one became weary as he kept his focus on it, blocking and dodging the gunfire as he did.

A loud furious yell from up above crescendoed toward him as Yang came crashing down with a fist directly on top of the wolf machine. Its metal remains exploding outward. He dodged to the side away from one of the metal bits as she leaped into the air having drawn their attention. The moment she did, he sheathed his sword again and drew it out, using Moonslice to take down the soldiers near the gate. Yang crashed down on another group of soldiers creating another crater. From what he could tell, he wasn't at all sure if she had forgiven him. Blake simply reassured him that what was in the past, is in the past, though that didn't satisfy him. He wouldn't push it and he got the feeling that the best thing he could do was treat her as a comrade and watch her back. He intended to follow through as one of the surviving dust-tuned glided at her at a blistering speed. He sheathed his sword again and drew it to cut right down its chest. Liquid dust oozed onto him as the creature crashed and tumbled toward Yang's feet as she turned around to acknowledge it.

"Thanks," She said as she ran back between him and Jaune. "I'll leave the front to you!"

Yeah, that was for the best. Just watch each other's backs. "Leave it to me." He turned to face the gate and the cautious troops clearly anxious to run. They didn't fire and neither did he attack. "Drop your weapons, and run away, and we'll spare your lives. We won't kill non-combatants!"

They all looked to each other. Suddenly, they stopped shaking and reaffirmed themselves. They all readied their weapons. "We'll fight to the last! Do what you will!"

He sighed. "So be it." He sheathed his sword again and gripped its hilt tightly.

* * *

Jaune blocked one of the dust-tuned's ice missile with his great shield, the icy crystals shattering against it. He glanced over to Yang. He was on edge. Not because he was afraid of what Yang might do but rather because he was afraid that he won't be able to back her up. She was scared of her power and was relying on him. That sort of pressure was still hard on him. He blocked another projectile, left himself open, and the moment one of the dust-tuned took advantage, he kneeled and thrusted directly into its chest. It stumbled backward, and he made a hard swing at it, the wave of force exuded from his swing knocked it back and onto the ground. Liquid dust spewed out from under its body as it slowly stopped moving.

Thankfully, pressure didn't hinder him anymore. As the enemy attacked him, he made sure to keep their backs facing Yang so that he could keep his eyes on her as she tore through their forces. Though he could tell she was still hesitating. He blocked another missile, then a beam of flame, then a row of spikes made from the ground, he let everything crash against his shield. As Yang got hit, he funneled his aura to her even from where he was, in turn her strength increased, and she broke through them that much easier. He became more proactive as the fighting went on, funneling his aura in bits and pieces _before_ she was in danger of taking a hit. As the fighting progressed, he could tell Yang was becoming more and more like her usual self, which in turn made her take less hits. He could feel the weight lifting off his shoulders.

This was his concern right now. Adam could handle himself, and so could Cinder. Yang trusted him to keep her from going berserk and that's what he intended to do, no matter what. He was worried about the civilians though oddly there weren't any. He didn't want to think about what might have happened to them considering. He was glad however that Saphron and her family moved away when talk of war broke out.

They moved in further into the base. Adam had secured the gate. Cinder was still in that translucent box, and Yang was tearing this place apart from the outside. He paced himself. As they faced off against less and less opposition, he increased the lengths of time between when he would empower Yang and when he would let his aura recharge.

* * *

Cinder stood her ground as the green garbed man with the dual pistols dropped down to met her. "Ana's not going to deal with me herself?"

"She ain't dumb sweetheart. We all know how powerful you are. Word on the street is you've recently gotten more powerful too!"

"And who told you that?"

"A man named Nero!" Ana said. "Raye over there used to work for the man. He mentioned that there was an old magic that awakened in you recently. Sounds so interesting, sister!" She sneered at her.

"Did he now?" That wasn't good. Everyone assumed Nero and Owain weren't working together, though now that might have been a mistake. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"I wonder…" Ana said. "Hunter! I'll let you have the honors for now! Leave her face intact at least. Well, what's left of it!"

"Understood, dear!" Hunter pointed his black pistol at her, the other one still holstered. "Nothing personal sweetheart, but things are changing. New opportunities have been popping up all over the world for years now, and we intend to be on top!" He fired a shot though it simply fizzled when it impacted her flaming whirlwind. He smiled and pulled out his other pistol, a white one. He unloaded a barrage of bullets at her, each one fizzled out as they impacted the flames though he never got rid of that grin of his. She knew what was coming but she didn't want to give that away. Every time he unloaded and reloaded, she kept letting the flames absorb the hits. She just had to be careful with Hunter's semblance.

As the meaningless exchange continued, she noticed Ana had skipped off further into the base with Raye. She assumed it was a trap to lure her further in. "Sorry."

"What was that?" He said, still firing.

She released a shockwave of flame, one strong enough to shatter the walls and deplete Hunter's aura. The girl, Mazon leaped off and away following Ana's trail. "Well, well! And here I thought you'd lost your bite." He laughed, then followed off with the rest of his team.

"We need to head deeper into the base though I think I should stay in the middle!" It looked like the others had cleared everything at the entrance.

* * *

Blake walked into her office. She was alone. She waited as she sat down at her desk and crossed her arms leaning back against her chair. She tapped her foot impatiently on the carpeted floor waiting. Simply waiting. How did she know this wasn't a gamble? She didn't. Not rationally anyway, though she got the suspicion that she'd be right. Or perhaps she'd be wrong and—

The shadows moved and flowed into a tangible form in front of her door. Nero. He'd arrived just as she suspected. She shot him a smile. "It's good to know that I can predict your movements a little."

"Careful now Blake, best not to reveal your hand so quickly." Nero had a different outfit this time. It was a sleek look with his usual colors. He still wore his mask though she could tell he was indeed a faunus now as he let his black-furred tail hang loose. "I think I know why you wish to talk to me. You _do_ wish to talk with me, yes?"

Her smile widened. "That sounds almost as if you're unsure. Can it be you could be wrong about something?"

"Awfully playful today, aren't you?"

"A little. Though just with you right now. And tell me. Why do you _think_ I want to talk with you?"

"You're concerned about Owain and his penchant for bloodlust. You wish that we can form an alliance—albeit temporarily—so that we can take down a presumably common enemy. Am I right? Either that, or you wish to ensure I don't interfere." His low, deep voice hit the mark.

"You're right. And before you decline, I have to—"

"I'll do it."

Her jaw dropped. " _What?_ "

"Surprised? Although like I said. It'll be _temporary_."

"You're not worried about how this might grow the White Fang?"

"I don't care about the White Fang. Only you."

"Gee, thanks," She said as she slammed her elbow on the desk, catching the side of her head. "Listen. Do you know anything about Yang's power?"

"I do."

"Can you tell me if there's hope? If she grows stronger will she…you know."

"Her power is not of the darkness if that's what you are asking. People fallaciously assume darkness and destruction are one, yet even the God of Light could callously destroy."

"Then why does she—"

"See the way the grimm do? It's something she'll have to work with. I will say this. Her power is unique to her. Well, her and Owain. The only reason why she sees through the "eyes" of a grimm is because her body is desperate to protect her, and it attempts to do so by destroying all potential threats. It's why such a thing only occurs when she is near death. Bring her near death and her full power awakens in all its fury."

She furrowed her brow. _He seems…_ she sighed in relief. Looks like Yang was going to be fine. "What you did to Raven…is it permanent?"

"Yes and no."

"Can you specify?"

"The vault will remain closed, though Raven…"

"Yes…"

"Don't worry so much about it. Blake, I need you to understand that I have your best interest in mind."

What? Where did _that_ come from? "What is _best_ for me is up for me to decide. I and pretty much the rest of my team have had it with people messing with us. Whatever it is you _really_ want from me just _say_ it and quit being a coward about it!"

He paused. Too long for her comfort. "Tell you what. Do something for me and I'll show you something. Both you and Raven."

"Like what?"

"I want you to talk with some of my disciples. They have…reached a wall and I could use a fresh set of eyes. I'd rather not have anyone else do it."

"You want me…to help teach your comrades?" It was a strange request and rather sudden, but she'd be lying to herself if she denied that she was intrigued by what he was going to show her. Though why bring Raven into it? Did it have something to do with what he did to her?

"Yes. Like I said. They've hit a wall and I wish for them to grow. Will you do it?"

"How long will that take?"

"Not too long. Don't worry, it won't hinder your efforts against the Governor."

"Fine. I'll help them out. Though not sure how I'll be able to help."

"You'll see when you get there."

"This isn't a trap is it?" She knew the answer was no. Why would he trap her? It's not like he needed to.

He laughed a little. "Head over to Lower Mistral. I've already instructed them that you'll meet with them. They'll find you and lead you to my hideout."

"Funny how you assumed I would say yes."

"Of course you would."

She sighed. "This isn't another fake hideout, is it?"

"Actually, it's the real thing this time."

"Well, I hope so. You've lied to me before. Don't think I've forgiven you for that."

"I apologize. You caught me off guard you see. I hadn't been aware that there were other embodiments before."

Blake's scroll vibrated. She looked down at it to notice Weiss was calling. "Will you excuse me?"

"By all means. When you are done, please visit the hideout." Nero disappeared in shadow.

She sighed and picked up her scroll. "Weiss, what's up?"

"Do you mind having dinner with Percival and me? Ruby should be coming along as well."

"Dinner? Is this the time for something like that?"

"It is, in fact. People are going to report on the fact that I've arrived in Mistral. And considering I'm a legendary huntress…"

She laughed a little. "I understand. Nice to see you've become good at politics. Better at it than me."

"Nonsense! That speech you gave was wonderful!"

"What did you think of Yang's?" She spun her chair around.

"A little blunt but fine, considering."

She laughed again. "True, true. Well, tell me when and where and I'll be there!"

"Right now, as a matter of fact, if that's not a problem. And it'll be at the Pepper Chamber. I heard the place has a wonderful array of spices and sweets!"

"Got it! I'll be over as soon as possible!"

* * *

Weiss sat down at the table by a large fish tank. She made sure to sit at a spot with a clear view of the door. To her this was both an act of leisure and a way of demonstrating that everything was alright. If people saw the President of the SDC eating calmly as if nothing was wrong after the Mistral governor practically declared war on everyone, then she hoped everyone would be more likely to be at ease, to believe everything was under control. She thought so at least. Percy looked a bit annoyed. He didn't hope to eat with her alone, did he? She liked him but not like _that_. She looked around and fidgeted around with the condiments placed on the table as well as with the menus waiting for any sign of Ruby and Blake to show up.

"It'll be good to see them again. I think I've only ever had a decent enough chat with Yang so far." Percy took a sip of his water.

"Oh really? Well, this is the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with the others! They'll love you I'm sure!" Except Ruby. She got the feeling Ruby was a little jealous. Which was weird. But whatever. She'll lighten up to him before the evening was over, she was certain. As she reassured herself, she spotted Ruby walk in wearing something other than her usual huntress attire. It wasn't a full on dress, though it did have a skirt. Of course the colors she wore were _her_ colors. All in all it wasn't too fancy, yet it wasn't too casual either. Weiss was actually rather surprised. She waved to Ruby and as she took notice, she strolled right up to their table.

"Hey you two! I'm here!" Ruby scooched up beside Percy. "So Percy! Do anything weird lately?"

What? "Excuse me?"

Ruby giggled. "Just kidding. No but seriously."

Percy raised an eyebrow at her. "Well…I did attempt an unorthodox tactic in Chess the other day when I played against Jacques.

"Ruby, you look exhausted. When was the last time you slept?"

"Like a whole day ago."

" _Why_?" She could practically see the bags under her eyes.

"Oh we got captured and sent off to some base or something. There were people made of dust!" Ruby said, whispering loudly with the back of her hand hiding her mouth.

"Uh huh. Well, I'm glad you're alright, though you should get some rest after this!" She didn't want to delve into it further, especially not here in a public place where others might be listening. She noticed Blake walk into the restaurant. She got way more attention than Ruby did. People were whispering and gasping. Blake wore an elaborate dress that was _almost_ a little too formal for the situation. It was accentuated with her favorite colors.

Blake walked up to their table and sat down next to her. "So did you all order yet?"

"Nope." Ruby rested her head on her hand as she put her elbow on the table.

The waiter walked up. "I'll be trying my damnedest not to ask for any of your autographs, so what'll you all be having?" He beamed at them and he was almost oozing with excitement.

They spent a good three minutes deciding and ordering on the spot. The waiter didn't look remotely bothered by that and it almost seemed like he was stalling. The waiter left to put in their orders.

"So, Ruby. Blake. Tell me about yourselves. What have you been doing lately?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, we've been apart for a few good years now. What's been up with you two?" Weiss concurred.

Blake laughed a bit. She looked to Ruby. "You first. I'm actually interested in Morgan and you. What happened? From your perspective, since we got hers not too long ago."

"Morgan?" Weiss asked.

"Right. You weren't there," Ruby said. She looked a bit uncomfortable at the question.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Blake said nervously.

"No, no it's fine. Anyway, not too long ago I began having these really bad headaches. I kept having these intrusive thoughts. Like, thoughts I wouldn't normally have, about people that I didn't really feel bad about. Then I met her, Morgan. We had…strong philosophical disagreements."

"Uhh…" She assumed Ruby was leaving out details for the sake of privacy. At that moment, Blake whispered into her ear telling her that Morgan was Ruby's darkside and that it somehow manifested itself physically. That surprised her. She leaned in and whispered. "Can…she hear us now?"

Ruby nodded. "She thinks we're wasting time."

"Well, I assure you this is time well spent. We're having dinner together, we're relaxing, and most importantly." She leaned in. "We're ensuring people don't worry too much."

Ruby shrugged.

"Well?" Weiss said.

"I get the feeling that she just rolled her eyes," Ruby said.

Weiss pouted.

"What does she think of us by the way?" Blake asked.

"She's perfectly fine with you. She adores Yang in particular, but besides that it's not any different than me. Other people on the other hand…"

"Other people?" Weiss asked.

"Philosophical disagreements." Ruby didn't say anything more and Weiss got the hint.

"What about your missions? Before all this war stuff, I mean?" Percy asked.

"Nothing really interesting to be honest." Ruby's face turned melancholy. "I get these missions help people, but it seems so…I don't want to say meaningless but…I kill grimm, they come back, then I kill them again. I mean, the grimm aren't really a threat anymore so it's mostly giving people assurance and peace of mind."

"You don't deal with anything else?" Percy asked.

"Well, small time thugs here and there. The mention of my name and me being nearby is usually enough for them to surrender. Sometimes I come across some stupid enough that think they can make it big by taking me down."

"Perhaps you should look into a new career path. After all this is done of course. Maybe you'd be interested in being a professor at one of the academies? Teach the new generation?" Percy said.

"You know, that's not a bad idea!" She got the feeling Ruby would be against it. Then again, if she really was not feeling it anymore, then perhaps she'd consider it.

"It's funny. My dad said the same thing about Yang. Not much excitement for her either, though she does have her mom to spar with from time to time."

"Have you thought about asking Raven to spar with you sometime?" Blake said.

"Eh. No I have not."

"Why not?" Weiss asked.

"Well…see." She leaned in. "Morgan kinda almost killed her."

Her jaw dropped. "She did _what_?"

"How did Yang take it?" Blake asked.

"She took it well. She understood what happened. I'm not sure about Raven though. Though I think Raven has more of an issue with Morgan than she does me."

"What about you? How do you and Morgan get along?" Percy asked.

"We get along just fine."

"Does she force control from time to time? Perhaps when you're asleep? Anything of the sort?" Percy asked.

"No. She took control from me at first, but we came to an agreement. It's worked out so far."

"Hmm." Percy looked like he was pondering something.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"It's nothing. I just thought she'd be more aggressive in taking control. If the two of you had disagreements on a fundamental level such as your life's purpose, then…" Percy said.

"Why would you assume that?" Ruby's eyes narrowed.

"Ruby…" Weiss scolded.

Percy laughed a bit. "I read up on a lot of stuff. I've heard cases of people suffering from split personalities or something close to that. Huge differences in egos inhabiting the same body, that sort of thing. I simply assumed." He turned to Blake. "What about you? What have you been doing lately?"

"Besides heading the White Fang? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"I hear that. Mostly paper work, right?" Weiss teased her with a smile.

Blake laughed. "Mostly. To be honest, this whole war business has actually given me something to do. Not that I don't value my work, but the day to day stuff? It's a slog to be honest. I look at our past and remember how bad we thought we had it. How little hope we had, then thanks to Ruby over here, we managed to pull off something grand. Now…"

"You're living your lives. Whatever that may mean." Percy smiled. "It's not wrong to be bored from time to time. And rest assured, I'm certain some excitement will enter your life. Excitement that _doesn't_ involve the deaths of innocent people."

They all smiled. She most of all. She knew they'd come to like him.


	14. Yang's Arc Chapter 12

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 12 – A Grave of Thorns**

* * *

Yang walked beside Adam as Cinder and Jaune approached them from behind. From the outside, Argus was now a ghost town. Jaune had mentioned Saphron and Terra having moved away some time ago, thankfully. She gazed back at the radically changed illustrious port city; the odd sparkly metal plating everywhere, how much of it seemed like a fortress. The whole thing seemed unnatural. Whatever the New Dawn did, they did it fast. From what she could tell, the civilians either died, were kidnapped, or fled and whatever soldiers and machines were left retreated further into the base through the gate now directly in front of them. She looked overhead as a large Atlesian-styled airship that seemed to be a cargo ship flew overhead and landed directly over the fortress. It descended until it was no longer visible. Reinforcements? Weapons? "So what's the plan? Cinder, you said you wanted to be in the middle?"

"Yeah. To make it harder on them when they try to steal my powers."

"I'll get the front th—"

"No, I will," Yang said as she cut Adam off.

He looked at her. "Aren't you worried about your aura?"

"I am, but I…well, Jaune has my back."

"Depending on what the base is like inside, the both of you can get the front. I'll cover our rear. You should all still be close enough to me for me to affect you. I haven't been slacking off these last few years you know," Jaune said.

Yang and Adam nodded. Yang cocked her fist back, took a deep breath, and punched a hole through the center of the gate. Adam stepped forward and cut off a bit of the sides around the hole to create a larger opening, one wide enough for them to fit through easily. They all rushed through and sprinted down the long corridor.

"How does the New Dawn do all this?" Jaune said. They turned a corner. Turrets sprouted from the walls and unloaded on them.

Cinder shot out two cascading flames toward the turrets, incinerating them. "You mean how they're able to build bases so fast?"

Yang leaped toward another gate barring their way and punched right through it. "Doesn't matter! They can build them up overnight for all I care. We simply have to tear them down!" That's how it should be. Don't worry. Everything will be fine. The dust-tuned weren't that much of a threat anymore now that they had experience dealing with them.

As they rushed passed the now shattered gate, they reached a wide open area with several doors placed all along the walls. They all opened as templar walked through each gate. Three destroyers and four predators.

"Damn it." Cinder held out her hands. "Keep me covered. I'll blow them all away, but I need time!" She slowly floated into the air as flaming energy gathered around her.

"Got it!" Yang shouted as the four predators leaped at them, while the three destroyers unleashed a barrage of gunfire. She met one of them mid-air and slammed it to the ground with her fist. As it crashed, she stomped on it with her land as its aura flickered while she grabbed it by its jaws and tore it open.

This was just a machine, not a person. She didn't need to hold back against it, and she was already used to the behavior of the predators. She charged toward Jaune who had been fending off two at the same time with heavy swings powerful enough to knock them back. He either buffeted them away with his sword or with his shield; he was a complete wall. Adam cut through his with ease with an unsheathing of Wilt and Blush as he glowed a bright red. As one of them charged Jaune, she slid under it and punched into its underbelly with the aid of her gauntlets. Now grabbing onto it, it couldn't move any further. Cinder had created a shield to fend off the barrage as she focused. Yang tore through the predator, and before Adam could cut through the other one, the powerful energy crackling around Cinder violently expanded.

"Duck!" Cinder yelled.

They all did that very instant, as a shockwave tore through the air, splitting the last predator—as well as the destroyers—in half as their remains exploded. "Let's keep moving!" Cinder said.

They returned to their formation with Yang and Adam at the front—side by side—as Jaune rushed up behind them, shield held out in front. Things were going good so far. She felt the tightness around her shoulders, chest, and arms loosen, as she felt a rush of energy. She smiled as she slammed through another gate as a blaring alarm went off. As they ran down another corridor a wall of robots rushed at them. Both her and Adam leaped into the air as Cinder shot out a wave of bright flames that devoured the robots. They landed back into their rush.

So far it had been mostly dust-tuned, robots, and templar. The less real people got in the way the better. She punched through another gate; she got the feeling the layout was a spiral and based on the decline, the spiral was leading them below, _far_ below. As they plowed through altered Atlesian Knights, a few dust-tuned here and there, more templar, she felt like she was getting stronger, like she would never tire out, like she was invincible. She felt a thrill overwhelm her as she sped ahead of the group out of formation. If the others had told her to wait, she didn't hear them; not that it mattered. The tips of her hair became aflame and her eyes turned red. She bashed through a gate, tore through more machines, then crushed open another gate, and shattered the ranks of whatever metal had been thrown their way.

She felt euphoric. She was in the zone as she dodged, swerved, tanked, bashed, and shattered every templar and dust-tuned that had bombarded her. She only felt better and better. Everything seemed to be serene and clear though that feeling faded as quickly as it came. What was that? It had happened in an instant. As she tanked through more and more fodder the feeling came once more though faded again. Her aura never flickered, the haze never washed over her, and the euphoria only got stronger, which only pushed her even more, and yet, like the machines they were, they never retreated. They never experienced fear. Yet another gate barred her path as she slammed right through it as if she had been unstoppable.

She slid into a storm of a stop into another large room that had cubicles and computers placed throughout as the wind from her sudden stop blew the place into a complete mess of scattered papers, scrolls, and yanked out cables. "Yang!" A shout came from far behind; it was barely audible. Though as the seconds passed, she recognized it clearly. It was Jaune. Her eyes returned to normal, the flames in her hair subsided. She turned around and noticed the others slowly catching up. Jaune, Cinder, and even Adam had a dumbfounded look on their face. "What?"

"You just blazed ahead, we were worried!" Jaune said. "And your eyes were red, so I thought…you know."

"I wasn't." Cinder walked ahead and scanned the room.

"Not sure what happened, but you saved us a lot of time." Adam broke off to the other side of the room, also taking a gander of the place.

Jaune sheathed his sword and stowed his shield. "Where do you think the others went? Those four who were after Cinder, I mean."

"Considering the path of destruction left in Yang's wake, I'd say they fled deeper in. Either that or we haven't sprung their trap yet." Cinder walked up to and leaned over a computer that was still on and messed with it. "Hopefully there were cameras all over the place. If they got a glimpse of that, perhaps they'd be caught off guard."

"Don't think those four are much of a threat." Adam picked up a stack of papers and sifted through them.

She…went into a haze again, didn't she? This was different though. At first, she thought she didn't, but it was similar. Somehow, she knew it was similar. Before, she had an overwhelming bloodlust, and she could see negativity, but that was different. There was no bloodlust, only freedom and…clarity?

"Can't be too careful. They have maiden-stealing tech. I'd rather not have something like that torn from my body again."

Yang walked up to an empty desk with a turned-off computer and switched it on. Was it possible that this "berserk" thing she had going on had another mode to it? That it wasn't just an overwhelming desire to destroy anything negative around her? She breathed a sigh of relief. She felt herself wanting to learn more. She wanted to get stronger. Owain was the ultimate goal here and if they had the same powers then she got the feeling she had a long way to go. The fact that there could be another mode was her saving grace. She didn't have to become a monster. She _wasn't_ a monster.

"Find anything?" Jaune said.

"It seems the New Dawn has developed some new type of metal." Cinder said.

"Metal?" Adam asked.

"Apparently, it's how they've been able to build new bases so quickly. It's…not ordinary metal. Like, it's…unnatural. It comes from a templar I think. I don't know which one but so far, the files are all linked to templar research. The scientists have reached a breakthrough and have developed something they've called a "super-metal.""

Unnatural? "Do you think it has something to do with the dust-tuned as well? Those freaks turn people into monsters. Maybe they did something similar? They must have a purpose for those things. They're not really that useful from what we've seen." Seriously. They were slightly more extreme versions of people like Hazel. Now that she had fought them a few times, their biggest advantage was the element of surprise that came from their abnormal abilities.

"I…don't think that's it." Jaune walked up to another empty desk and sifted around it. "I think they've been doing much more than messing with dust. The templar for example, as Cinder mentioned. They don't seem like normal machines, and they're not like Penny. I think they're up to something. Something big. Building bases as quickly as they can is useful and all but what's the point? What's the endgame? Why give us a month before an assault?"

"Either way, we shouldn't linger here." Adam threw the papers back on the desk. "I don't think we'll find much here. So far I've found only spreadsheets and routine research."

"I'm almost done." Cinder took out her scroll. "I'm going to download this info and…" The pause was long, a bit too long.

"What is it?" Jaune asked.

"I don't trust Ironwood." Cinder inserted her scroll.

"What?" It's not like Cinder had reason to trust him. Though she got the idea this had to do with something more than just the fact that he was the head of a military Cinder wasn't a part of.

"Back during the meeting with the governor, I got a feeling that Ironwood and Alexis might be in league. At first, I thought it might have something to do with Owain and Alexis' seeming disgust with him, though I'm not certain."

"How do you know it _isn't_ just that?" Jaune asked.

"Call it a hunch. I'll send you the files on the metal, though I want you to keep the fact we have it secret. For now at least."

"She has a point," Yang said. The military base wasn't this big before. It didn't stretch outward into the city like it had now. And this underground. "No way they tunneled underground this far deep so quickly. This had to have been here for years. No way Ironwood was blind to that." The hell was the general up to?

"You're right…Well then, we play it safe like Cinder suggested and keep this to ourselves for now," Jaune said.

They all nodded.

Adam walked up to a large pathway that led even deeper. "The lights are off, and so is the alarm."

Jaune walked up and Yang followed. "Maybe down there's the trap," Jaune said.

"Well, one way to handle that. Jaune, stay close to Yang. Yang, will you do the honors?" Cinder asked.

She was anxious to see if she could slip into that other mode again. She wanted to see if it was more than just a fluke. "Sure. Leave it to me!" She cracked her knuckles, then her neck, and moved out in front of the group. She got into a sprinter's position, counted down in her head from three to one, took a deep breath, and on one charged down the dark corridor—Cinder close behind with a radiant, candle-like flame in hand for light—as Yang felt like her usual self. The decline was steeper now though not enough for them to lose their footing. They rushed further, and further underground and she felt nothing. No fear, no worry, nothing. She didn't even care if a trap _was_ sprung. Let them spring it!

They rushed and rushed for no more than two minutes before reaching another wide open area. The signs of explosives, the shattered metal and stone, the dust cartridges, and broken robots told her this was where they tested weapons. The alarm went off again, though was muffled almost immediately by a voice on the coms.

"Oh dear, sweet sister! Glad you could make it this far!" Anastasia said.

"Welp! Trap time!" Jaune drew his sword and readied his shield.

A large set of double doors opened to the side as a white humanoid looking machine with a long coiled tail walked out. Azure lights permeated its body as it looked like an elaborate suit of armor with a crown atop its head. "Targets present for termination. Activating Desolation Mode!" The machine said with a deep, mechanical, reverberating voice.

"I present to you the T-200 Conqueror!" Anastasia said. "Courtesy of the New Dawn's benefactor!"

"What? Benefactor?" Was it that Albus guy? She remembered hearing his name in that recording. They figured him to be one of the others.

The Conqueror skated forward over the metal grating and put up its right arm which was clearly a cannon. An energy began forming and, in that moment, she sidestepped from a sudden beam of bright white energy. The Conqueror's back opened up as several missile launchers retracted outward. It fired each and every missile at them, while firing another energy beam. Flame throwers jetted out its lower back as it spewed oil on the ground. The area became alit with fire.

They all dodged away and to the side of the missiles and beam, as she herself rushed through the explosion, swerving past another beam. She formed a fist and slammed it down hard on its chassis as a deafening thud rang through her ears as she recoiled back and leaped away to safety. "Damn, that thing's armor is tough!" It didn't have a scratch on it and she didn't feel its aura. "Well, looks like this thing will actually give me a work out!"

"Designation: Yang Xiao Long. Threat Level: Black. Switching to Empowerment Mode!" The metal around its arm transformed as several circular openings formed and—

An enormous, billowing cone of brilliant flames consumed it entirely, though the instant it did, the flames swirled inward like a whirlpool, faster and faster until they were gone, having been sucked up by the machine's body as its body was now filled with openings.

"I can wait just a little longer, Cinder! Just a bit longer!"

"Oh no, Cinder, run!" Yang yelled.

Cinder flew backward as lines of orange energy emitted from out of her body. It was like she was being pulled in by several threads as the machine sucked up the Fall Maiden's power. Yang gritted her teeth as she flashed back to that cell. _Yesterday's enemies are today's friends!_ She felt a sudden rush of energy as she blazed a fist onto its chassis again and this time a deafening _crack_ was heard as it recoiled back. The absorption stopped, and she pulled back her fist though it exploded out a sphere-like shockwave of green energy that knocked her back. She flipped backward and landed safely.

Cinder was on her knees though her maiden powers were still flared. "Destroy that thing quickly!"

Jaune stepped in front of Cinder and focused. His aura channeled into her like a funnel coming out of his back. He held his shield in front and his sword to his side. "Yang! Adam! This is all yours!"

"Got it." Adam gripped the hilt of his blade and strafed slowly to the side. "You first, Yang."

She got into a fighting stance. "Gladly."

"Repair Mode initiated." The azure lights brightened as the cracks on its chassis disappeared. The electrical appearance of aura—white aura—shimmered around it.

"Oh boy. Well, that just means I'll have to hit it _harder!_ " Yang stormed right to it with a hard right onto its head as it skidded backward. She threw a hard left onto its metal gut as it skidded back again, and she ducked, as Adam's sword cut an opening horizontally on its chassis as it pushed them back with another green shockwave. She charged right back in with another hard right and then a left, then a right, and then another left, each impact thundering out the sound of crunching metal as its aura kept repairing it.

She let out a big grin as she kept up her assault. Each blow crushing the metal only to be repaired again, though that did nothing to deter her. In fact, she felt increasingly invigorated. She ignored the strange behavior of its aura as she continued pummeling it.

"Initiating Invasion Mode!" The templar's coiled tail moved erratically as metal spikes formed all along the tail. It raised it high up in the air as both her and Adam leaped away to safety. The spikes fired out in all directions and sunk into the ground. They opened up and formed into tiny spider-like creatures that blazed toward them. Four of them leaped at Yang as they lit up. She stood her ground and reeled away at the last moment to goad out the incoming explosions as Adam did the same.

Four more charged Adam as he sheathed his sword and drew it out into a clean slice straight through them as he rolled passed the explosions, absorbing the laser beams shot out from the tip of the templar's tail with his sword. Yang propelled herself to the templar's right flank in a curve opposite of Adam and brought her fist up straight into its side. It sunk its tail and feet into the ground as the momentum from her punch impacted the area behind it. The cracks in its body were greater than before though it repaired itself again. Why didn't its aura take the hit instead?

This thing was tougher then the maiden-empowered predator! They were going to be in trouble if it took Cinder's power. She slammed more and more punches into it as it simply took it though it released its tail to fend off Adam from its blind spot. The remaining spiders charged at the both of them as she periodically reeled back and then charged at it again to avoid the explosions. It knocked them back with another green, sphere-like shockwave as the flames around the area flowed into its arms. It fired them off into two giant cones at the both of them as they sprinted in a circle around it as they dodged, jumped, and ducked away from the constantly spawning mechanical spiders.

They met together at the end of their circle and charged straight at the Conqueror as the flames stopped. Two red-hot cannisters were shot out of its arms as it skated on the ground to meet them. The both of them ducked from its close-line as Adam sheathed Wilt and Blush and drew it out at a joint in its arm as she leaped over to its head with a downward punch. Another green sphere pushed them back. "Alright, that's getting annoying!" Yang yelled.

"Heads up!" Jaune yelled.

From her peripheral vision, she saw Anastasia's team rush out, presumably to aid the templar. Her smile disappeared, and she felt her energy wain. The Conqueror kicked her back _hard_ with a metal boot to the stomach as she recovered midflight and landed as she zigzagged away from a spray of bullets from Hunter. Raye charged her with her fists with a fat grin on her face as Yang was now dodging bullets and fists as Adam tried to fend off the Conqueror.

"Kill Yang first!" Anastasia yelled over the com.

"Target Focused. Terminating Yang Xiao Long!" The Conqueror blew passed Adam in a sudden release of jet-propelled movement as it barreled at her. Raye jumped away, leaving behind an explosive mark which blew up just as the jet-propelled fist crashed into her side, throwing her into the wall. _Thump!_ She felt a familiar pain and burn spike and fade in an instant. _No, no, no!_ She gritted her teeth.

"Yang! This isn't good! Cinder, how are you?" Jaune yelled.

"I'm still pretty weak! That thing absorbed more than I thought. Keep it up! Push out as much as you can! And hurry!"

Yang saw Adam charge behind Raye as he sheathed his sword, prepping to slice through her though a wall of aura forced him back as Mazon stepped forward between him and Yang.

"You should've joined us, Yang!" Anastasia yelled. "Together, you and Owain could've been invincible!"

The Conqueror aimed its cannon at her as its beam washed over her. _Thump! THUMP!_ Red electricity crackled around her. Her vision went red. _Fight it!_ This was bad, _really_ bad. _FIGHT IT!_ She pushed out the doubts and fell to her knees in a heavy heaving of breath and sweat, trying her hardest not to go berserk. Conflict. Her heart was in pure conflict.

"Sorry, sweet heart. No hard feelings." Hunter placed his gun right atop her right temple and pulled the—

 _THUMP!_ Nothing. Her thoughts vanished.

* * *

Jaune yelled out to Yang as the bullet fired right into her head, though before he knew it, she had slammed her fist into Hunter as he was violently thrown into the wall. His blood left a trail behind. _Oh no._ "Yang!" He saw her hair blaze at the tips as her aura became enflamed. The red electricity crackled furiously. He rushed toward her, he hoped his semblance could do something, anything!

"Jaune, wait! It's too late, stand back and let her exhaust herself! You'll only get in the way right now!"

He stopped. Cinder was right. Damn it, she was right! He told her he had her back. He let his guard down. He wasn't cautious enough! He looked at her as the red electricity crackled around her. She stood up as if unscathed. Adam rushed over to them.

The Conqueror fired a volley of missiles as azure-colored energy gathered at the tip of its tail. Mazon backed away as Yang charged at her, shattering through the desperately created walls, as she slammed her fist down onto her head, her body crushed into the metal as she kicked the body into the wall. As Mazon flew backward to the wall, he knew she had died the instant Yang punched her. He could clearly see Raye trembling from here. Her expression was dull yet panicked. Her eyes were wide, and she froze in place as Yang turned to glare at her.

Raye's fear rose to the surface. "Ana! We need to get out of here!" She leaped backward in terror to the gate on the other side of where they entered as Yang took a step toward Raye, the red electricity crackled outward as she tanked the azure beam and the missiles. She rushed through the explosion and smoke and grabbed the Conqueror by the tail as she placed her right foot on its back yanking the tail straight off it. She tossed the tail aside as the templar tried to create some space though she punched it in the head as it shattered. It regenerated as she simply shattered it again, slamming her boot down onto its chassis as she did. Its chest broke, spewing out azure liquid and oil as its white aura faded. Unable to regenerate anymore, the templar shined an orange energy as it exploded. The explosion engulfed Yang.

As the explosion cleared, she was still intact. She stood there firmly, unmoving, unscathed, save for her broken aura and the red electricity. He looked over to the gate. Raye had escaped. Anastasia hadn't said anything over the coms, so he assumed she fled as well. He looked over to Yang as she fell onto her back. "Yang!" He rushed over to her.

* * *

She could've sworn she had moved. She felt fine though. Was she dead? Was this what death felt like? No. No, this wasn't death. Red. Everything was red. The room spun. It spun and spun until it came into focus. The red disappeared, and she saw something. Metal? She heard a sound, though it disappeared the moment she heard it. The metal had lights coming from it. The ceiling? Was it the ceiling? Where was she? She heard the sound again. Then more sounds. They were rapid until she saw familiar shapes hovering over her. They were—

She came to. "Jaune. Cinder. Adam." Her body felt like a massive weight. "What happened?" What _did_ happen? She felt fine. There was no pain, though she felt…numb. She _was_ numb. "Tell me. Am I alright?" She went into that haze again. The one she feared, the one she hated. She went berserk.

"You tell us." Adam looked concerned. Now _that_ was weird. She never thought she'd see that. Then again, who knew? Maybe it was fear she was looking at.

"What happened? Tell me what happened!" She yelled. She tried to move but couldn't.

"Well, the machine was destroyed. Cinder's fine. Anastasia and Raye fled deeper into the base, but…" Jaune scratched his head as he looked in another direction.

"What? What is it? What happened to the other two?" She tried to turn her head in the direction Jaune was looking, and barely managed to do so. When she did, her eyes went wide. There was a trail of blood and a crater. She turned away from the body. She couldn't stand to look at it. "The other one…"

"Yeah…" Jaune said as he looked away solemnly. "She's dead too. Probably shouldn't look. We'll carry you out if you'd like or we can wait, though I'm not sure how long that'll take."

"Considering what we encountered, we should probably wait for Yang to recover before moving on," Adam said.

 _I…killed them._ She was a huntress. People die sometimes. Sometimes huntresses had no choice but to kill. Especially those who wouldn't stand down. _I didn't have a choice!_ Didn't she? Would she have let them escape had she been aware and able? She didn't know. If they pushed and pushed and wouldn't back down then she wouldn't have a choice, would she? Did that make it any better?

"What if another one of those conquerors attacks us while we wait? We should retreat! Most of their base and forces have been neutralized. We should get out while we can!" Cinder said.

This isn't who or what she wanted to be. This isn't the kind of power she would ever want. She didn't want to destroy for no reason. She didn't want to destroy just because she couldn't control herself. That was worse than letting her anger overwhelm her to where she made rash decisions. That was worse than when she lost her arm. She recovered from that. But if she became a monster…if she _was_ a monster…

"Yang…don't worry about it. We'll find a way around this." Jaune smiled at her.

"It's fine. I'll…let you guys decide."

"What? No, I mean your power. Don't tell me you're giving up already?"

Her eyes went wide again. What could she do though? Go and talk to Owain? He honestly might be the only one who could tell her how to control this. Or maybe… "I agree with Cinder…Let's get out of here. And then find a way to open the Spring Maiden's vault." Though this had been a hunch, she wanted to test a theory. They had no more questions, but maybe Blake could…

"What?" Cinder said. Though she figured it out. "Alright. Help her up and let's get out. We'll need to move fast since Raven can't portal us out."

Jaune and Adam nodded and helped her up. "I got her. Luckily, she's not repelling us right now. I might be able to quicken her healing, though I'm almost out of juice."

"We'll cover you." Adam went up ahead back toward the path they came from. She looked forward to that same path, though just before they reached the path she turned and looked and saw them. The bodies of the two she killed. She _had_ to look at them, despite the horror. _I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to._

* * *

Ruby finished her meal and pushed the plate aside. "So Percival. Where did you train? A huntsman academy, combat school, or…" _You know you're only going to bother Weiss more with questions like that, right?_ Well what else was she supposed to do? She trusted Weiss to death, but she suspected that their new enemies were smart enough to account for their savviness.

"Well, I'm mostly self-taught. I grew up in a poor part of Mantle. Family moved over to Argus the moment they saved up the money to do so, and every so often I'd leave the city to go hunting with my father, while my mother was away on missions. You could say that most of my training stems from street smarts!" Percival gave her a warm smile.

Weiss had her head propped up with the palm of her hand as she gave her a flat look, as if to say _Really?_ Maybe she was overthinking it. Though… _What is it?_ Owain looked like Yang somehow. Something he chalked up to their shared power. They hadn't proven that applied to the others. If they did, then that'd clear Percival right up. "Hey Blake! Have you talked to Nero recently?" _You're assuming Raven isn't lying about having another kid._

Weiss rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're being so conspicuous it's ridiculous."

Ruby giggled. "Oh please, I am not, shut up!" _Why would she lie though?_ She thought to Morgan.

Blake chuckled.

 _Why wouldn't she?_ Yeah but Raven really wasn't that big of a liar, was she? Sure in the past she was known to omit things, which sure means she could be hiding something, but…she's changed. She doesn't get anything out of lying.

"I'm sorry, but what's this about?" Percival asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I told you about them, remember? Apparently, four warriors embodying the values by which humanity was created have returned. She thinks you're the King."

 _She has a family she cares about now, I'll give you that. Which is why she might be willing to lie about having another kid when she abandoned Yang._ Ruby tried to keep up a smile.

"Ah." He turned to Ruby and gave her a big smile. "Well, if it helps you feel better. Weiss is my alibi."

"That's right! He's been by my side pretty much always!"

Always? _Always?_ "Wait? Even while you sleep?"

Weiss blushed. " _What?_ " She almost yelled too loudly. "No!"

"Everywhere _except_ where privacy is expected," Percival laughed.

 _And perhaps lying to protect herself from shame. The shame that her son turned out to be a monster._ Dad backed her up. There's no way that's true!

Blake laughed. "Anyway…what did you want to know about Nero, Ruby?"

She looked up to her and refocused. "Well. Do you know if he looks like you or not?"

"Well, I don't know about that, but he _is_ a faunus. He…" Blake suddenly looked serious. Ruby made sure to side eye Percival while she talked. He seemed to be listening quite intently as he took a sip from his drink. "I think he might have a cat's tail."

Percival put down his glass. "Does that necessarily mean that this Nero…"

"Looks like me? No, it doesn't…" Blake looked down. "I don't know. We've come to an agreement so far though. I don't trust him, but…well, you know me. Giver of second chances!" Blake chuckled. She sighed. "He seems…sincere. It's not like I'm just blindly trusting him. Though I know I shouldn't at all."

Ruby smiled warmly. _Oh, here we go…_ "That's because you're a wonderful person. Think of where Adam would be if you hadn't given him a second chance!" She side eyed Percival again and she was surprised to find that he was also smiling warmly.

"If it helps, I would like to say that I hope you don't consider that a weakness. Most people, when confronted by evil or the misguided, wouldn't bat an eye at seeking vengeance, or perhaps condemning them. It's easy to condemn others. That whole cliché that it takes more strength to forgive is true. When you've been hurt, scarred by someone, it's extremely difficult to move on, even more so than to forgive. Something that I'm sure all of you know from direct experience, no?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. Was it her or did his accent change slightly. _It's you_. Was she sure? _Well, not absolutely, no_. She pushed the thought out of her head. If this guy really was the King, why would he act so nice? Why would he be such a good bodyguard to Weiss? What could he possibly get out of it?

"See?" Weiss said. "There's a reason why everyone in my family likes him so much."

Percival smiled. "By the way Ruby, you seemed a bit distracted. Are you alright?"

"Oh that's just Morgan." _Don't mind me, Ruby._

"If you don't mind, can I…speak to her? I'm curious. These sort of things have always intrigued me," Percival said.

 _Fine by me._ "Oh, sure, okay!" She closed her eyes. _All yours,_ Ruby thought. She felt herself shift again. Morgan opened her eyes. Blake didn't look surprised though Weiss did. Percival simply grinned.

"Interesting." Percival leaned in a little. "Your eye color shifts. Morgan, I presume?"

Morgan nodded.

"So uhh. This is weird." Weiss shifted a little. "You…Is Ruby alright?"

"She's here and listening, like I was before. She'll be back, don't worry." Morgan turned to Percival. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh not much. I'm curious. How different are you from Ruby?"

"We're pretty much the same, except I…we have strong disagreements on certain things."

"Like?" Weiss asked.

Morgan paused. _It's alright. It's not like they'll turn on you._ That's exactly what she was afraid of. They had this discussion back when they first wrestled for control, remember? _And now's the perfect opportunity to show you I was right!_ She sighed. "I…think most of the world's problems have little to do with the grimm. They were only ever strong and fearsome because people were dumb, corrupt, and complacent. The worst of what we suffered…" She turned to Blake. "Well, I think the both of you know that from experience." She said to Blake and Weiss.

Their brows furrowed, though their expression was more concerned than angry.

Blake sighed. "I mean. She's right. "Torchwick, Adam, Cinder, Salem." She turned to Weiss. "Jacques."

"So you don't see the grimm as evil then?" Percival asked Morgan.

Morgan turned to him. "No. I mean they're just mindless creatures. Had Salem never did what she did, the world wouldn't even have known about them." Morgan faced forward and looked down, gripping her glass tightly. "It's always been people…" _You're awfully quiet, Ruby…_

"Well, that comes with the territory. We have free will. And add in circumstance, bad upbringing, ignorance, and you have a recipe for people who probably don't even believe they could do better if they tried. It's a lack of hope," Blake looked at her sternly. "The grimm on the other hand don't have that. They can only kill. There's not much there to discuss, and you're right. Had it been just the grimm then our job, our lives would probably have been very different. And I've no doubt we would have gotten rid of them ages ago."

"Which is why we've changed. Our battle isn't over, Morgan!" Weiss said with a smile. "It's why I decided to head my family's company."

"And why I took over the White Fang." Blake also smiled.

 _See? I told you._ Morgan couldn't help but blush a little, though she tried to hide it. She forced herself to frown.

"Awww. Well, not sure what I was expecting from Ruby's darkside," Weiss teased.

"I'll uhh." She blushed a little more. "I'll let you speak to Ruby again."

Both Blake and Weiss only smiled more. She shifted. Ruby felt in control again. She was getting more and more used it as it didn't feel as weird this time. It was almost seamless.

"To be honest. I'm kind of ashamed I felt anxiety about your darkside, Ruby," Weiss said. "She's adorable."

 _Didn't Blake just say she came to an agreement with Nero?_ She did, didn't she? "Blake, Morgan wants to know what kind of deal you have with Nero."

Weiss giggled. "Yep. Adorable." It was funny how Weiss was able to read Morgan like an open book. Percival only sat there and watched with a smile.

"Oh, well. He's agreed to help me deal with Owain. Well, us. He wants me to help him first with teaching a few faunus he's been guiding. Apparently, they've hit a wall and he thinks I can make a difference."

"You sure it's not a trap?" Weiss asked.

"I don't think it is." Percival said. "Based on what you told me about these folk, I don't think he'd lure Blake to a trap. If he wanted to harm her…well, it seems like he's in a position to do that anyway. There's no strategic advantage in trapping her."

"I thought the same thing. It's one of the reasons why I took him up on that offer. Well, that and…"

"And?" Ruby asked.

"He apparently wants to show me something. Well, Raven and me. I assume it has something to do with Yang or Owain. Can't see why he'd bring Raven into it otherwise."

"Did he suggest what it might be? Or provide a hint of some sort?" Percival asked.

"No, nothing."

 _Maybe it's a DNA test._ Ruby ignored the comment. "What about Raven? Did you ask him about that thing he did to her?" Ruby asked.

"He implied the seal he placed on her—assuming it's a seal—is permanent, though I think her powers will be fine. Her semblance on the other hand…I get the feeling he did that to cut off the advantage it gave us."

"That's…worrying." Weiss took a sip from her tea. "If one of us had a useful semblance, you think he'd come after them?"

"You're worried about Winter?" Percival asked.

Weiss sighed. "Yeah."

"Wait, Winter's still missing?" Ruby said.

"Yeah. I can't find anything on her, and she has yet to answer her scroll. I've had Percival here scour for anything that might help, but…"

"Excuse me!" The waiter said as he walked up with their desserts. Well, Weiss' and Percival's desserts. They both got the same Double Scoop Sunday. Weird dessert for a place like this. Suddenly, a song started playing. It was louder than the default orchestrated piece that had played before.

"Wait, this song!" Weiss looked dumbfounded.

Just then, she heard Weiss' voice. It was one of her songs.

"I wrote this song a year ago!" She looked down solemnly, yet she smiled. "It's a pop ballad. I haven't had the time to sing a song like that in ages!"

Ruby noticed Percival's hand shake as he seemed to struggle to take another bite of his ice cream. He put down the spoon. "You sing beautifully, Weiss. I think this is the first time I've heard you."

"Really?" Weiss chuckled. "You know, you could've downloaded one." She smirked.

He chuckled. "It's funny. I don't remember if it came up in conversation before, but…this is the first time I'm learning about this. That you're a singer."

Ruby leaned in a little. He seemed…sad? It was odd. His smile was forced.

"Forgive me. Old memories. It's nothing." He turned to Ruby and gave a sincere smile this time.

"You know, if you want to talk about it…" Weiss said.

"Maybe some other time. We've…been enjoying our time here, right? I say we keep at it. After this, it's back to business."

They all smiled. "Well, in that case! I think I can stomach a dessert!" Ruby called over the waiter.

"Are you sure?" Weiss said.

"You know what? I think it's the song, but I agree with Ruby!" Blake said.

* * *

Anastasia walked down the path to the mansion, ignoring the freaks atop the towers. Those things were useful, though it bothered her to know what they really were. Why didn't they rely on the templar? She tried to stop the trembling throughout her body. They didn't need to turn people into monsters and they weren't even that useful! Owain promised they could create magic…she recalled Yang's words about Alexis and what he was planning. She pushed out the horror of what that famed huntress did. Could Alexis really be planning to betray the boss? An image flashed in her head. Those red eyes of hers. Had she stayed there just a bit longer…

"Hey." Raye said, walking beside her. She was still trembling.

"What is it?"

"What are we going to tell the boss?"

She stopped. She was trusting Alexis less and less and Yang _did_ have a point though having seen the boss' face and Yang's, she couldn't deny the similarities and now having seen her power…Owain had an interest in her. She finally understood why. How the hell was anyone supposed to stop her? No. She continued her walk. Only Owain could stop her. That's why he was never worried. He knew. He knew what she was capable of.

"Ana!"

She stopped again. "What?"

"Our team is dead, and we lost Argus! The Conqueror was destroyed, and it was all thanks to just four people! He's going to be pissed!"

"So?" What did she think he was going to do? Was she scared? Did Raye not trust the boss? Was she one of Alexis'? Why would she be scared? "Raye, you agree with Owain right? You believe in the cause?"

"What? Of course I do, I'm just saying—"

She jerked in her direction. "You're just saying? Saying what exactly? Owain only kills traitors, cowards, and the unjust! If you're not any one of those things, then you have nothing to worry about!"

Raye looked down and to the side, gripping her arm. She sighed. "You're right. Come on, let's go in and report in." She walked passed her.

 _Good._ She thought with a smile. It was that simple. The boss was the only one they didn't have to worry about and so long as he led, they were invincible. A loss is a loss, nothing more. She followed Raye into the mansion. Alexis was gone and most of the mansion seemed to be quiet. Owain sat in a chair head propped up by his arm as he slept, one leg crossed over the other. Strange. Why wasn't he sleeping in his room? She tried to force back the blush at seeing his beautiful face.

His eyes opened. _Yeah_. She could definitely see the similarities. Those red eyes were the same as Yang's when she went completely ballistic. She tried to stop the trembling in her body. Did that mean something? Owain never got anywhere near that upset though. He was always in control. He might have gotten mad here and there, but it wasn't anywhere near what she saw from Yang.

The boss smiled. "Only two return. Judging from your expressions, I must assume you encountered something…magnificent." His smile widened.

"Wait, did you know?" Raye said, stepping forward.

"Raye!" She didn't like her tone.

"Of course! I know Yang. I know what makes her tick, how she thinks, what she values. That and well. Our enemies are aware of what she is and to try and take back a base without provoking tensions more than they already have been requires delicacy. It doesn't take a genius to figure out they'd send in an elite, yet small, fighting force. From the looks of it that seemed to be an excellent decision. Pray, tell me what happened to the Conqueror?"

She stepped forward. "It was destroyed. The Conqueror, most of our forces there, as well as Hunter and Mazon. They were all neutralized by Yang. Her power…she went completely insane! It was like nothing hurt her!"

He let out a sly smile. "She did, did she?" He sighed then frowned. "It seems like she still has a long way to go to control her own power. That's quite unfortunate. Still, it is to be expected. Albus insisted Yang's inexperience could be dealt with by his little gift. He severely underestimated her. Seems his memory might be going a bit dim these days. Curious."

"Control?" Raye shouted. "You mean she'll only get stronger? What would that even look like?"

He let out a wide smile. "Oh, you'll know. If you ever have the terrible misfortune of meeting her then, then you'll know immediately. There is only one form the beast could possibly take."

She saw Raye's trembling worsen. "Boss. It sounds like you want Yang to become more powerful? May I ask why?"

"Why do you think? You who believe our cause is just. Why do you think one of these four legendary huntresses would be of benefit to said cause?"

That made sense. From the looks of it, they would be going up against an allied force. She trusted Owain. She knew this was a ploy to draw out the worst of them. Though she knew even he wasn't invincible. If he got Yang on his side, the two of them really _would_ be invincible. Though the problem was her team. How could he get Yang on his side without her team? Wait, what was she thinking? Owain is confident for a reason! Their cause was just! All they had to do was show it to them and they'll switch sides!

"What about the dust-tuned? I don't like them!" Raye said.

"Don't worry about them, let Alexis have his little toys. They are useful and unfortunately, they are an unavoidable circumstance." He stood up, letting his elegant silk robes flow back down. "I've ordered our researchers and engineers to continue production of the T-1000. You two are to get some rest. I'll have a lot of work for you tomorrow."

"Boss!" Raye said. "What about Argus?"

"Leave it. It has served its purposes."

"Understood."

"Now go. Rest."

The both of them saluted firmly and went off to do as he asked. Raye went off to her room while she went to her own. So far, she loved living in this mansion. It had been the prettiest place she ever lived in. And thanks to Owain, no one could ever take that away from her. Thanks to him, she was finally where she belonged.

* * *

Ruby walked out of the restaurant and stopped. "Well, that was fun!" The huge meal followed by the unnecessary dessert had given her a tummy ache and her drowsiness just hit her like a ton of bricks. The plate-wide cookie was a mistake. It was good, but a mistake.

"You should go get some rest, Ruby," Weiss said. "You…also might want to take an antacid."

"Oh, hush you, I'll be fine."

"Is it me or does Ruby act drunk when she's severely exhausted?" Blake said.

Weiss put her hands on her hips. "Maybe it's also the sugar."

"Guys, I'm fine!" Ruby almost tipped over. "Ugh, no, no movement!" She shook it off as they gave her a look. "So what'll you all be doing now?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Percy and I will be meeting with the headmasters, Ironwood in particular. We have a lot to discuss after all!" She turned to Blake. "What about you?"

She sighed. "I have to go see Nero. I'll finally get to learn more about him and the Black Claw. Hopefully we can settle our differences. I'm not too fond of a temporary alliance; I'd rather it be permanent."

Weiss smiled. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Well, we should get going." Percival walked off toward their ride.

"Alright, alright, duty it is then." She smiled and waved them goodbye. "See you two later! Give Yang my best!"

The both of them waved goodbye as well. "Well, she's right. I think I'll go to sleep. Someone will wake me up if something impor—" She gasped.

"What is it?"

"I keep forgetting to replace my scroll!"

"Well, there should be a shop nearby. We can stop by real quick and get one." Blake turned around and scanned the surroundings. "Hey! Over there. Scroll shop. See?"

"Hey, you're right! Well, might as well get that out of the way!"

They walked off to the shop and purchased her a scroll. She programmed it and sent everyone her new number, said goodbye to Blake, and went back to her and Yang's hotel room. She kicked off her boots and not even bothering to slip into something more comfortable, collapsed right onto the bed. She dozed off almost instantly.

Though she awoke almost as fast as she'd fallen asleep, except she had woken up in a field of wilted roses. There was a heavy mist everywhere. And needles of some sort scattered all over the place. Little blue needles that didn't even seem real. Thorns? She _was_ in a field of flowers. There were graves all around her as well. _Your path will bring only sorrow…_ A man's voice said. It was solemn. She didn't recognize it. "Hello?" She shouted. Nothing. Everything was hazy. She stood up and scanned her surroundings. The mist cleared up and she saw buildings. It looked like a city. Everything was hot, _painfully_ hot. The buildings were intact, though she didn't recognize them. Graves were everywhere and everywhere she walked she found those same blue thorns following her path. In fact, it made her path. Wherever she walked, the road beneath her was made of those same thorns. Buildings, heat, and graves. It was hard to see more than a few feet in front of her and if it weren't for those thorns, she'd probably have gotten lost though wherever she went she still saw nothing but unmarked graves. Graves and thorns, and what was a dead landscape. No grass, no trees, no animals, and no people. Then, suddenly, everything went bright. It burned. It _burned_. It was a heat she had never felt before. _I ask that you turn back…_ the man's voice said, sadder than before, as if pleading. _This path you follow, it will bring only sorrow…_ The path made of thorns dissipated, and she fell. She fell deep into darkness. The heat disappeared and so did the pain.

She woke up. She could hear her new scroll ringing. She pushed a finger into her temple, feeling a familiar headache. What a strange dream. _Morgan?_ No answer. The call from her scroll ended. _Morgan?_ Again no answer. Her heart sped up, her chest tightened. She bolted to her feet to check her scroll. It was Qrow; he left a message saying that Yang and the others came back from Argus. She didn't call back though. She gazed out the window. It was night time, and the sky looked odd. She…couldn't describe it. The storm clouds spread further, and it still wasn't raining. Little beams of light that looked like they were struggling not to be smothered pushed through tiny holes in the storm clouds here and there. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach. Some nagging feeling she couldn't describe. _Morgan, please, are you there?_ No answer.

She shook her head vigorously. What are you doing? You have to go to the others! You still have a job to do! Worry about her later! She's probably asleep or something. She put on her boots and rushed over to Haven which was apparently to be their meeting place from now on. On the way, she couldn't for the life of her stop worrying about her other half. Before entering Ghira's office amidst the night-time crowd of Haven, she gazed up at the sky again. The storm clouds had spread even to Haven. It seemed to cover all of Mistral now.

As she walked through the door to the headmaster's mansion, and walked up to and inside Ghira's office, she saw Cinder, Raven, Dad, Qrow, Jaune, Adam, Mercury, Emerald, and Ghira himself.

"Ruby?" Dad asked.

"Something wrong?" Qrow asked. Apparently, she wasn't hiding her concern very well.

"It's…nothing. Where's Yang?"

"She's fine." Raven said. "She's just resting. Apparently, she went berserk again and did a lot of damage."

"We encountered a particularly powerful templar called the T-200 Conqueror. It was able to extract maiden powers quickly and mid fight," Cinder said.

"That's…" T-200? How high did the numbers go? And extract them mid-fight? These things were getting more dangerous. Both the predator and the destroyer couldn't even do that.

"Yeah. Yang destroyed it pretty easily though once she went berserk. She's resting from the side effects," Jaune said.

"The fact that they have such a machine is troubling. Seems like these templar are getting more and more powerful. We've retaken Argus and according to Ironwood, they're already restoring it," Ghira said.

She noticed Jaune shift a little. Strange. "So what's the plan now?"

"Well, Weiss is still meeting with the other headmasters. I've taken a recess from the meeting to meet with you," Ghira said. "We wait for the outcome of that meeting and the New Dawn's response to the retaking of Argus. That and before we doing anything, I think it would be best to wait for our Berserker to awaken good as new!"

Raven looked a bit uncomfortable. "When you saw Yang go berserk, how in control was she? Did she make any progress?" She turned to Jaune, Adam, and Cinder.

"She didn't repel Adam or me when we helped her up. That didn't happen before," Jaune said.

"Other than that, she seemed more powerful. It was slight, but it was there. Besides that, nothing. She blacked out completely," Cinder said.

Raven sighed. "Well, the fact that _something_ was different is a plus if nothing else."

Perhaps she could reason with Owain. She felt like she had to try. She felt a bit of sadness well up when Morgan didn't disagree. There had to be a way to help her through this without having her be brought near death and losing complete control. "Is Owain in his mansion now? Do we know?"

"Why?" Ghira asked, concerned.

"I know what you're thinking Ruby. I appreciate the idea, but I don't think Owain will tell us anything. He seems to want to push Yang this way." Raven folded her arms and leaned against the bookshelf.

"But I have to try at least!"

Raven looked at her. She sighed. "Fine. Be my guest."

"Are…you sure?" Ghira asked.

"Ruby can handle herself. Besides, if she needs to get a little more aggressive, then Morgan can help. She seems to be a bit stronger. Right?" Qrow turned to her.

"Y-yeah!" It's fine. Everything was fine. Morgan was probably sleeping.

"You do know who we're dealing with right?" Dad said. "Dude's crazy strong and the more we learn about Yang the more powerful we're finding out just how powerful he is by simple comparison!"

"I'm not going to pick a fight." She gave him a stern look. "I just want to talk with him. When Qrow and Raven talked to him, he never got violent, right?"

"She's right," Qrow said. He sighed. "Well, another attempt at trying to get something more out of the dude couldn't hurt."

"Actually, perhaps you could wait on that," Cinder stepped forward. "When Yang awakes, she wants to check with the relic. I think she wants to test something. Where is Blake?"

The others seemed surprised at that.

The only thing Ruby could think of was to see if Blake was the Huntress and could get access to the vault. But that wouldn't matter, they had no questions left. "Blake is with Nero right now I think."

"What?" Adam said surprised. "What did she say?"

"She probably left you a message, Adam," Ghira said. "Either that or Ilia or one of the other higher ups in the White Fang should have a message left behind by her."

"She said she came to an agreement with Nero. A temporary alliance to help take down Owain. In exchange, he wants her to teach some faunus a few things or something." Wait, why would Nero, the Huntsman, want to take down Owain? Then again, their last encounter wasn't exactly friendly.

"Wait, we're getting Nero as an ally?" Qrow asked.

"No, no way. He's up to something," Adam said.

"If that's the case, then, we'll have to wait." Cinder looked at Ruby. "Guess we'll try having you talk to Owain."

"Are you going to go now or talk to Yang first?" Dad asked.

She looked down. She wasn't sure. She didn't want to do anything behind her big sister's back though, she needed to keep herself busy. She was antsy, and she needed to accomplish something, _anything_. "I'll tell her when I get back."

Dad sighed. "Alright." He turned to Raven. "You want to go along?"

Raven shot him a glare. "And why would I want that?"

Was it Owain or her that bothered Raven?

"Hey, I'm just saying! The guy apparently has a thing for you. Creepy as that is, maybe with you there, he'll be more malleable when Ruby tries to talk to him!"

"Ugh, fine. Guess it can't hurt." Raven let out a heavy breath. "Alright, let's go! I trust you to keep Morgan at bay."

She looked off to the side, trying to hide her feelings. "Yeah, don't worry. I…I've got it under control."

"Doesn't sound like it." Raven said.

She forced down the worry. "I've got it under control!" She asserted. "I won't let what happened, happen again!"

Raven smiled. "There we go."

Ghira coughed. "Speak to one of the pilots at the airship landings. They'll have a ship waiting to take you over to the governor's mansion. I'll contact someone at the mansion to inform them of your coming arrival." He sent a message and received a quick reply. "Ah, good! You've been given the okay to head on over. Please, be careful."

"We will!" Ruby said.

With that, both Raven and her walked from out of his office, alone together for the first time since that night. Though her worries forced themselves back to the surface. _Morgan…_ Still nothing.


	15. Yang's Arc Chapter 13

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 13 – A Second Omen**

* * *

Yang opened her eyes. Even though the room belonged to another student, she still felt oddly at home. Perhaps that was just because she felt like she got a good rest in. She felt calm for some reason. She thought she'd be more in grief at what happened. She was still struggling to decide if Owain was trustworthy or not. She felt an odd kinship with him. Was it because she was still uncertain about their relationship? She had no rational reason to be. Mom wasn't lying. That, she knew for certain.

She resigned herself to lay in bed with her hands behind her head, simply staring at the ceiling. _Who are you?_ A part of her just wanted the certainty of it, to _know_ that Owain wasn't her brother. But what if he was? What if Mom wasn't lying but just didn't know somehow? That was hard to imagine. And if he wasn't? Was it really all because they had the same power? The thought of him caring about his hair and asking for what shampoo she used invaded her mind. It was small, but…she couldn't help but shake this strange feeling she had. She didn't know what it was, but all she knew is that she was connected with the man who was now the world's enemy. She felt an obligation to figure all this out, to get stronger, and to stop Owain, if for no other reason than to find out what that connection was.

She sighed. She suddenly had a thought; the fact that she got incredibly powerful near death just gave her a huge advantage. She didn't _want_ to become a mindless beast, but well, perhaps she should start looking at it differently. She wasn't supposed to be careless. Not now and not in the past. It was an odd sort of reversal. Going ballistic made her lose an arm, and now the same thing happens, and everyone _else_ loses an arm. Well, their lives. She was back to square one in a way. Though she knew she couldn't let it be that way. Owain was powerful. And they had the same powers. Did that mean when they inevitably fought, he would also go berserk if she brought him to the brink? Or did that aspect of their power disappear with experience? The thought scared her a bit. She'd essentially be facing down herself. She took a deep breath. She needed to be more positive, more optimistic. Worrying about the worst wasn't going to get her anywhere.

A knock came at the door. "Yeah?"

"It's me," Jaune said.

She sat up and turned to let her legs hang off the side of the bed. "Come in."

Jaune opened the door and closed it behind him. He was without his greatsword and greatshield. He went over to the side and sat on a chair not too far from the door. He seemed a bit down. "How you feelin?"

She was honestly the one that should be feeling down about what happened. The moment she felt secure again, she went gung-ho, and before that she let her worries doubt the guy. "Hey, don't worry about it," She said. "I got too careless and the Conqueror was a thing we couldn't predict. Had you not done what you did, that thing would have absorbed Cinder's powers. You did good."

He perked up a bit and sighed. He scratched his beard. "I promised I'd back you up. I admit, I was afraid I'd let you down."

She smiled. "Nah."

He smiled back. "So? Get enough rest?"

She looked at her cybernetic arm. She opened and closed her fist a few times. She did the same thing with her other arm. "Yeah, think so. No pain, no numbness. No burning either."

"So you said you wanted to check the vault. How are we going to do that? And what about the questions? We don't have anymore."

"I wanted to see if the relic responded to Blake somehow. I wanted to see if it might reveal her to be the Huntress or something. And maybe Jinn would respond to her differently. If she was the Huntress, it must have some perks, right? There must be a reason why Nero sealed away my mom's access to the vault." It was a longshot, but these sort of things happened, didn't they? Hell, it was how the maidens were able to open the vaults in the first place. If that was the case, then she was hoping some magic nonsense would happen. Based on what Oscar said, it seemed likely, though this required that Blake awakened her powers or something, didn't it?

"You know? I think you're right. Not sure about the Jinn part, but then again, it could be an act to mislead us. Not sure how though."

"Yeah, I thought about that too. Either way, if it doesn't work out, I'll have to come up with something new."

"Well I think you might have to wait." Qrow said through the door as he walked inside, letting the door shut behind him.

"What? Why?" She asked.

"Blake is apparently off seeing Nero. They've come to an agreement, but there's a cost. Nero wants Blake's help with something, so she'll be preoccupied."

Jaune furrowed his brow. "Awfully convenient timing."

"Yeah, I'll say." Did he somehow foresee this? He asked Blake to come along with him which meant she wouldn't be available for her to test her theory. Did that mean she was on the right track? Though it could be a coincidence, except when it came to Nero, she had to assume it was more than that; at least based off of what Blake said about him. She should probably tell Blake about it, if nothing else. Maybe she could try it herself. Though, she'd have to get her scroll replaced since she lost it back at that fortress.

"Either way, that plan's a no go for now." Qrow walked up to a desk and pulled out the chair as he sat down. "There's also something else."

"What?" She asked.

"Ruby went off with your mom to go see Owain. She wants to give talking to the dude a shot."

"Is that a good idea?" Jaune said.

She really didn't know how to take that. But there was one thing she _was_ worried about. Owain was trying to goad her into furthering her powers. That required her to get mad or be brought near death. What if he did something to Ruby? "I'm going after her." She'd like to think she could handle herself, but against Owain? Then there was Mom. He could use her against her too! She jumped off the bed and went to put on the rest of her gear. Whatever their connection was, she was smart enough to not rely on it to keep her family safe!

Qrow furrowed his brow. "No you're not! Listen, Yang—"

"I'll be fine. But I won't let Owain use Ruby or Mom against me!"

"And what if he does that while you're there? How do you intend to stop him if he tries to make you go berserk?" Qrow slouched.

She gritted her teeth.

"Listen. They can handle themselves. They didn't go to fight him. Raven and I were able to talk to him without much of an issue. Despite the guy's violent tendencies, he's demonstrated himself to be a reasonable guy…more or less. I'm sure everything will be fine."

He was right about that. Which is what she desperately wanted to know more about. _How_ was he so docile, so calm, so in control despite being in the red-eyed state all the time? When she was in it, she was mad, unusually mad. Sure, he was violent, but from her talks with him, he shouldn't have been so polite and calm while in that state. She didn't get any fake vibes from him from those instances, like it was an act.

"So what do we do then? Twiddle our thumbs?" Jaune asked.

"Yup." Qrow stood up. "I'm gonna get something to eat. Maybe a burger or something. Care to come along? Might take the edge off."

Jaune grinned. "You know what? I think we should take him up on that."

She smiled back. She took a deep breath. "If I needed an excuse to take my mind off things, I have one now." She didn't want this thing to beat her. Maybe all she had to do was just…relax. Ruby was going to be fine. And for some reason, she knew she'd be safe, that Owain wouldn't try to use her against her. It was an odd feeling, but it was there. Even though she decided not to rely on that feeling, she didn't have much of a choice at the moment. That and she decided to trust in her Mom and Sister.

* * *

Ruby and Raven walked down the path to the entrance of Owain's mansion. So how was she going to do this? Make small talk? Skirt around the issue till she found something to latch onto? No. She'd just have to come straight out and ask him. There wasn't much she could do anyway. If he didn't want to reveal anything, then what was she going to do? Force him? She wasn't the type of person to do that in the first place, regardless of how powerful he was. _Morgan?_ Ruby walked into the Governor's mansion. The butler let them in. Raven stopped when they were in the clear. She crossed her arms and faced her. "What is it?"

"What's up, Ruby?"

She titled her head and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You were hesitant back there when I asked you about Morgan. I'm not an idiot. You're hiding something. You can trust me you know. Unless you lied about us being family now." Raven forced a smile, though she could tell she was concerned.

Ruby smirked back. Though she frowned almost immediately after. "I…Well, I went to sleep after dinner with Weiss, Blake, and Percival, then I had a weird dream, woke up, and when I called out to Morgan, she didn't respond."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Is…that a bad thing?"

"Well, I…I'm hoping she's just asleep or something. But I can't help but think something happened. That something's wrong."

Her brow furrowed. She turned back around. "Give it some time. If she doesn't talk to you after a day or two, then we'll look into it. Not sure where we would even begin though."

Ruby smiled warmly. "Thanks."

Raven walked on ahead. "Don't mention it."

She followed, and they both walked up to the second floor and went over to the council's old meeting chambers. The butler mentioned him being there where he was having a discussion with Alexis and the General of the Mistral Military. This was going to get awkward. _Just go up and demand he tell you!_ She wished Morgan would say. Not much else to try.

* * *

 _A few moments earlier…_

Owain tapped his foot, his head held up by the hand as he listened to the two fools ramble on. They argued for the past thirty minutes about inane nonsense. The duty of high-ranking military officials was something he always knew to be banal, yet here he was confirming such a truth through direct experience. Luckily for them, he wasn't a savage.

Alexis slammed his fist on the table. "You can't expect Atlas to just accept that!"

Shan Huang leaned in with a sneer. "What are they going to do about it? You little piglets in Atlas don't have a spine! So whatever support your bodies have is thanks to those machines you love so much!"

Alexis gritted his teeth. "Playing at intelligence only makes you look like a buffoon, Huang."

The burly man narrowed his eyes. "You didn't answer my question." His smile widened, which only accentuated his Fu Manchu moustache.

"They will unleash their full might down upon us! You do recall the strength of the Atlesian Military, right? Or did you lose some brain cells wasting away in that cell of yours?"

Shan let out a hearty laugh. "Do you know how much money Atlas has been spending all these years? All the damages incurred? With the New Dawn on our side, and our unstoppable juggernaut of a governor, the days of Atlesian dominance are at an end!"

"It's more complicated than that, you idiot! We can't afford a war! Atlas may have been suffering over the years, but even if we _do_ beat them, we'll greatly suffer for it. We need to shore up our defenses and strengthen our economy, _before_ we do anything rash!" He turned over to him. "My lord, I suggest we refrain from invading Vacuo. We should expand our power here! The attack on Argus, Yang's speech, and now your actions at the meeting with the councils has made even our own citizens out for our heads!"

Well, well, well. Finally the man spoke with some courage, if only a little.

"Speaking of Yang." Shan looked over to him. "My lord, are you two related?"

Nice of him to notice their similarities. Alexis, on the other hand, would never admit to it; he was one of those politicians that would deny the obvious just out sheer habit. "Perhaps. Don't see how that's important. As to the matter of Vacuo…I suppose I can rescind my orders. For now…"

Shan frowned. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh don't you worry your dear little head, General. There will be no shortage of opportunities for you and your own. Though I'll admit, Alexis is right. If you are to grow in might and influence, I dare say you need to play a bit more at politics." Yet another thing to slowly whittle away at his poor soul. Why he was the one stuck playing at sovereign was beyond him, but Albus insisted.

Alexis sighed in relief. "Thank you, my lord." For a man keen on playing the fool, he had done a very poor job of it. That was how many strikes now? He lost count. Originally, he planned to give him the old three strikes bit, but he lost all care the moment he reached two. Dead or alive, it made no difference.

The Mistral general slouched back and sulked. "Fine."

"By the way, if I may ask. Do we have a contingency in place in the event of your death, my lord?" Alexis said.

Owain smiled. Curious that he'd be thinking of such things. "I do." He widened his smile. "I do indeed."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Care to share?"

"Don't worry about it. The New Dawn will be in good hands in the event of my death."

A knock came at the door. A visitor? The butler was not supposed to bother them. It couldn't be Vest or Amaranth. "Who is it?"

"Ruby Rose. I want to talk to you."

Ruby Rose? Who? He wondered who that was, though his care vanished as quickly as it came. "You'll need to specify who you are. I'm in the middle of something." As much as he enjoyed two slowly rotting husks go at it in a meaningless scuffle, he had a duty. A dry, boring duty, but a duty, nonetheless.

The door opened, and he took a gander at the girl who—he smiled widely. _My oh my how…similar they are._ Though he had to stop himself from perking up as he noticed _her_ walk in beside the rose. He dare not think the word. "How many times is this now?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm not here for you. I'm simply tagging along with Ruby here, as a bodyguard. Don't get the wrong idea." And yet his appearance was no doubt still on her mind. He wondered if they figured it out yet. Though, how could they? Unless Nero decided to spill the beans, then he saw no reason—no way for them to know.

"Should we reconvene?" Alexis asked.

"You're free to do as you like." He didn't care what they did. Privacy or not, it didn't matter. Alexis sighed, stood up, and left. Shan Huang followed suit.

Now they were alone. The girl frowned. She looked confused. The obvious guess was his face. This would be the first time she saw it. He looked her up and down. Less armored, different weapon, yet still so similar. "What did you wish to discuss?"

"I want to know how to help Yang. How can she learn to control her power? _Without_ hurting people!"

Was that all? Was Yang really so worried about a little side effect? No. He understood. He knew why she was so concerned. He sighed. Perhaps he could move things along. Just a little. For the first time in a long time, he felt anticipation. Anticipation to get things going. Perhaps giving them a month was too much time. Or maybe it wasn't enough. There was one way to find out; one way to truly test his other half. Given the political circumstances at the moment, it _would_ serve to aid him, however much he didn't care. "Have Yang seek out the sword." He'll decide if he gave them too much or too little time based on Yang herself.

"What?" Raven said surprised.

"What do you mean? How will that help?" Ruby asked.

"Let's just say, it'll aid Yang in controlling her powers." By throwing her into the fire. A crucible of sorts. "As for the vault door, it'll open for her. Now that she has awakened, it should not bar her way." Though he was relying on an assumption. He had no evidence that it would be the same, though why would it be different?

Raven furrowed her brow and scoffed. "You're lying. Why would you deliberately allow us to get the relic?"

He really did enjoy whenever she emoted at him. "I'll succeed one way or the other. Having you seek the relic makes no difference to me. The sword won't aid you in defeating me, of that you can be certain. But it _can_ aid Yang in overcoming her little issue." The girl's name was Ruby, wasn't it? Interesting. He suddenly had another idea.

* * *

Ruby pondered his words. Could she trust him? Someone like him didn't need to deceive, did he? What could he get out of this? It was worth a shot, and if this could help her sister overcome this, then she should at least check it out, right? She wanted Morgan to object, agree, something. "Fine. I'll tell her that. But this better not be a trick!"

He smiled. "It isn't. It'll work. Yang will overcome this, rest assured. This is nothing more than another stepping stone for her."

Raven narrowed her eyes.

"What's the worst that could happen?" He said.

"Fine. Let's get going. Better get this over with." She walked out of the room.

Ruby followed.

"Ruby, was it?" Owain said.

She stopped in place and turned to face him. "Yeah?"

He smiled again. "The sword lily follows the water lily and it'll eventually catch it and wretch it free from the ground, though the sword lily will find it new soil."

 _What?_ "Is…that a riddle?"

"It is indeed." His smile widened.

She furrowed her brow. What does that even mean? Sword lily, water lily? "Does this have to do with Yang?"

"No."

"Then I'll worry about it later." She turned around and walked away, though she did type down the riddle on her scroll. So all they needed to do was have Yang get the sword? Was it really so simple? Something was wrong though. Though it wasn't like he exactly _knew_ they were trying to get the relic before him. They've made no progress on finding the Summer Maiden and have been sidetracked by one thing after another. She hoped Morgan would say something like, _Maybe he's so confident in his power that he'll just try and take it from us, save him the trip_. She sighed.

They wasted no time in going back to Haven. When they returned, she noticed Yang, Qrow, and Jaune return from eating out at a burger joint. The headmaster's office was still their base of operations and so they met up there, though almost everyone else was away at the moment.

Yang sat down at one of the cushioned benches and leaned forward. "How'd it go?"

Raven leaned against a bookshelf. "Owain says the Gift of Destruction will help you control your powers. He told us to go over there and get it."

Yang's eyes widened.

Oscar sighed. "Yeah, no that's a trap. He _wants_ us to just stroll up to the vault and have our trump card grab the freakin sword? No, something's clearly wrong with that."

Jaune crossed his arms as he got comfortable on the cushioned seat near Raven. "I agree. That's so sudden. Why would he _want_ you to get the relic?"

"We asked the same thing. He claims it won't make a difference in stopping him. We've made no progress in finding the Summer Maiden and Owain claims the vault door will open for Yang. Something we've already suspected," Raven said.

"Great." Yang said. "Wonder how the sword is supposed to help me, but I'll take what I can get. We were supposed to get the thing before him anyways, right?"

"Which is what worries me," Oscar said. "He wants to destroy the relic and yet now he wants us to get it? Though it _is_ odd that he'd want to try and trap us. If he wanted us dead, he could simply attack us and be done with it."

 _Morgan?_ She had to try again. Still nothing. _Where are you?_ "Well, either way, we can go in a group to make sure nothing happens to Yang."

"Yeah, though I think most of us should stay behind. For all we know, he wants Yang out of Mistral for some reason. Best not to assume that he wouldn't trap us just because he can kick our asses," Raven said.

"So we go there quickly, get the relic, and then head back. No time wasted." Yang stood up forcefully. "Isn't the headmaster of Shade here? We can hitch a ride back with her."

"Sounds lovely!" Bran Wisecrow walked in. "I missed most of the conversation. Mind filling me in?"

"We're following a lead from Owain to help Yang with her powers. Apparently, the relic is the key to that," Qrow said.

She furrowed her brow at that. "Well, not sure why, but okay. I was planning on heading back shortly anyway. I'll be waiting at the airship landing in an hour. Bring whoever you want to tag along and head there when you're ready."

"Got it." Yang said. "So who's coming along?"

Cinder stepped up. "I'm coming along. The remnant of the original Warrior insists that I follow you."

Jaune grinned. "As for me, I'll tag along too. Make sure your aura is always charged up, just in case!"

Yang nodded at Jaune and smiled in return. "Anyone else?"

She wanted to come along, but Morgan was worrying her. She _wanted_ to take Raven's advice, but… _Morgan, please! Did I do something wrong?_ While they were gone, she was going to find out what happened to her other half.

"I could come along. Have nothing better to do, especially since I can't port anymore."

Yang smiled at Mom. "Sure thing!" With that, the four of them headed off toward the airship landing where Bran's airship was waiting.

"Hey, Oscar."

"What is it, Ruby?"

"Do you mind doing some research into darksides and stuff?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Suuure? Why? Something to do with Morgan?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it though. Just a little curious is all!" She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want them to worry either.

"Oh, alright. I suppose with them headed off to Vacuo, I might have a little time to spare. I'll check out the library in a bit."

"Thanks!" Besides, this was personal. Oscar was more of a reader than she was. She hoped that he'd find _something_ for her to latch onto. Maybe she could call Percival. He _did_ say he had read up on split personalities and stuff. Maybe he could tell her something. She sent Weiss a message, asking her if she could talk to Percival for a bit.

* * *

A few moments earlier…

Adam walked out of Haven's infirmary, checking up on some of the White Fang recruits who had been injured pretty bad. He cleaned a bit of dust off his shades. Only a few of them were injured though. Most of the people here who had it bad were the students. There were even some New Dawn troops there. He walked toward Ghira Belladonna's office. That only made his worry spike. Blake went off to meet with Nero to form some sort of alliance? What was she thinking? No! No, trust her. She knows what she's doing. There's no way she'd just do that and throw caution to the wind. Either way, he was more concerned that the man was up to something. Maybe he could get some information from Ghira.

As he entered the office, the only ones inside were Qrow, Ruby, and Oscar who seemed ready to leave. "Where's Ghira?"

"Still talking to Ironwood and Weiss. Why?" Oscar asked.

"I'm worried Nero's going to act, that he's got something up his sleeve."

Qrow looked down as if in thought. He looked oddly concerned. "Funny you should mention that. A little detail slipped my mind…"

"What is it?" He asked.

Yang wanted to test if Blake was the Huntress by taking her to the vault, though now that I think about it, not sure how we're supposed to get close to it with Nero having stolen the watch." He shrugged. "Either way, as it just so happens, the man who knows so much, asks Blake to come along with him, and we kind of agreed that the timing was a little suspicious."

That's all he needed to hear. "So what is Yang planning to do now?"

"She's headed off to Vacuo to get the Gift of Destruction. If you're worried about Nero, you should head off to the airship landing and find the Shade Academy insignia. You might be able to catch them in time," Qrow said.

Adam nodded. "I'll do just that." He turned around and rushed over—though still in a walk—toward the landing. He caught them in time as he saw Yang, Jaune, Cinder, and Raven about to board the airship. "Wait!"

They stopped and turned around.

"Adam?" Yang said.

"I'm coming with you. I'm worried about Nero acting up. No way he just asked Blake for an alliance off the cuff like that without having an ulterior motive."

Yang and Jaune furrowed their brow. "He's got a point," Jaune said.

"Well, five's a crowd. If you're tagging along, then you could switch with me. It'll give me time to scout out. Maybe even spy on Owain while you four get the relic. Perhaps see if it _is_ a trap. I'm better at spying than Qrow after all."

"You sure?" Yang asked.

"Yeah. Go," Raven smiled at Yang, and turned around to face Adam. "Don't drop your guard. Nero's a slippery bastard."

Adam smirked. "Believe me, I know." He walked toward the airship. "Second mission together. Maybe this will be a thing."

Jaune laughed nervously. "Yeah…weird team though."

"But effective," Cinder said as she boarded.

* * *

Blake walked into what seemed to be Nero's personal chambers. Weird. This was weird. She was inside the room where her archnemesis slept. She crossed her arms and scanned the dimly lit, windowless, red carpeted room. He stood off in the corner, arms crossed as well, as he leaned against the wall, watching her. The room had bookshelves all along the walls and no shortage of books to fill them. A Treatise on Faunus Rights, A History of Warfare, History of the White Fang, Political History of Mantle and Atlas, and many more. A lot of the books on the first shelf she stopped and looked at were all related to history. She couldn't help but wonder if the non-faunus related ones hinted at any of his plans.

She moved onto the next shelf. She stopped and raised an eyebrow. Ninjas of Love? Wait. A Tale of Two Bandits? Romance Underneath the Waterfall? To Bask in—she cocked her head over to Nero.

"Is that really so strange?"

She tried to hide back a giggle, which she did. There was sass in his voice. "Are you…embarrassed?"

"No. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a little romance. Why would there be? I don't ever recall liking romance being a crime."

She grinned and held back a giggle. Glad to see his guard drop a bit. "Okay, okay, I get it. Besides, I'm not exactly one to criticize. Read many of these myself." She turned back to the bookshelves and continued on to scan the next one. History, yet more related to myths and legends. The one titled _Legend of the Four Warriors_ caught her eye. "Is that…?"

"Talks about a peerless group of four invincible warriors. They would ride on horses and ride out to change the world. Intriguing, but sadly doesn't reveal much."

"Sadly?"

"Ignore that."

She chuckled. "Will do." She moved onto the next shelf. Encyclopedias. Many of them looked untouched. "Where do you find the time to read all these books?"

"I find a way. Though I don't have as much time as I used to."

She frowned a bit. "Yeah. I understand." She really did. Most of her time was spent managing the White Fang's day to day activities. She _did_ long for a good book. Hell, even a video game. She missed when team RWBY would all play together with not a care in the world. She figured this just came with the responsibilities of getting older. Though a part of her doubted that. She sighed and turned to face him. "Nero. Show me your face."

His tail swayed back and forth. "No."

She furrowed her brow. "Why not?" She stepped forward. "You should know by now that I already have a guess as to what you look like."

He didn't respond.

She stepped closer to him. "So why not just get it over with and show me your face?"

Still no response.

"Why play this charade? Why play dumb when you know I see through you?" She stepped right up to him. Still he stood there calm, unflinching.

"You still have so much to learn."

"I'm sure I do." Guess she wouldn't be able to wring it out of him that easily. Smart. Though not unexpected. She felt bad about taking advantage of his dropped guard. She didn't want to do things like that. "Sorry." She turned around and went back to searching the room.

"For?"

"I don't want to be the type of person who does things like that."

There was a pause. "I know."

* * *

Yang walked down the path to the vault. _Here we go_. As she got closer, she felt an energy emanate from within. "Well this is different." Even from behind the door, she could see flashes of red shine through.

"Well, well, well. Guess this whole Berserker business isn't complete nonsense!" Bran said. "I'll leave you to it. When you're finished, come meet me in my office. I'll also have an airship waiting to send you back."

"Got it, and thanks!" Yang said.

Bran walked off with a wave. "No problem."

"Guess this is the relic reacting to your presence," Cinder said.

Yang continued her slow stride. "Guess so." Now she would get to find out how getting the relic was supposed to help her. As she got closer, the energy became more violent as she felt small tremors in the ground. With every step closer to the vault the tremors got slightly more powerful, and the red light became brighter.

"Wait," Jaune said.

She stopped and turned around. "What is it?"

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

"You're telling me," Cinder said.

She looked back at the vault. "Yeah…"

Jaune stared at the vault. "Nero knows things. He took Blake with him at a way too convenient time. He has yet to show up like we thought he would, and Owain for some reason wants to help you? Without a price?"

"Not sure what's supposed to happen, though." Jaune had a point, but what other choice did they have? They made sure they weren't followed. The only thing she could think of was that Owain was too preoccupied to come here himself and was hoping she'd bring it to him somehow. That or the fact that he was governor prevented him from coming here without starting a war. Which was his intent, so what changed? Jaune was right; the others were right. Something was very wrong here. She turned to Cinder. "What does the Warrior think?"

Cinder looked at her. "She doesn't know anything about the relics, remember? She came before them. She's curious, especially about why Owain would want you to come here."

So nothing to go on. The relic was what Owain wanted. If she brought it back to Mistral, would that draw him to her? Would he attack suddenly, and without holding back?

Adam paced back and forth, clearly scanning the shadows, hand on the hilt of his blade. He was still keeping guard. Nero could still pop up at any moment. Even though they still had a poor understanding of his power, it was a safe assumption to make.

She sighed. "Well, there's only one way to find out. Unless we plan to go back?"

It was clear from the expression on their faces that they weren't going to run away.

"Alright then." She turned around to face the vault and returned to her stride. Just like before, the tremors and the red light seemed to gain strength from every encroaching step she took. As she stood just short of the vault door itself, it cracked. The red energy cracked all throughout the door. She stepped back as it exploded. She gazed at the sword. It was…activated?

"Why is the sword active?" Jaune yelled through the rumbling vault.

This was different. The sword didn't behave this way before. This was _way_ different. Something was definitely wrong. Or maybe it was right? This was supposed to help her, right? The fact that it was acting so erratically could be because it was resonating with her or something.

It crackled and thundered. The tremors became consistent now that she stopped moving.

Maybe it would seal away her berserk state? Could that be the trap? But that didn't fit with what Owain wanted. It thundered again as she took another step, causing a slight increase in the strength of the tremors. Or maybe it would remove her lack of control when she went berserk, or perhaps allow her to activate it at will. She took a few more steps as the tremors increased accordingly. She gritted her teeth, sweat ran down the side of her face, she clenched her fists. _Why did you send me here, Owain?_ "Guys! Be ready! Just in case!" She hoped they heard her over the thunder and rumbling.

As she got closer and closer, the sword floated into the air. Was it her or was it getting bigger? An evil seeped out from the sword like a red mist. At least that's what it felt like. It had intention. Voices—whispers emanated from the mist as it inched closer. How could she hear them? The quaking stopped and so did the thundering.

"Yang, maybe you should get away from that?" Jaune said.

Yeah. This feeling was definitely malevolent.

The ground shook, _violently_. "You. You who stands well beyond their station!"

"Oh crap, oh boy, oh man that's not good!" Jaune yelled.

"Who are you? What are you?" She yelled.

The mist viciously receded to the sword and swirled around it. It spun into a twister as it grew larger and larger as a shape formed. "I can finally fulfill the duty for which I have been created!" Yellow eyes shone through the red twister, the sword hidden within, as it formed into a dragon made of red swirling mist. The mist hardened and took a solid form.

"Duty? What duty?" She covered her face from the gusts of wind.

"I, Angra Mainyu, servant of the gods of light and dark, hereby sentence you to death, Berserker!"

Her eyes went wide as her instincts flared. The dragon's eyes shone brighter.

"Yang!" Jaune yelled.

She was stuck in place and she felt a _burn_. She yelled, screamed—louder and louder—as a red stream of mist seeped into her from the dragon's mouth. Her screams turned violent, vicious. She could feel the haze rising up, trying to protect her, healing her. Her body broke apart in places as it reformed. She gritted her teeth and growled in a crescendoing rage through her teeth, trying to stem the terrible pain.

"You said your name was Angra Mainyu! What do you want?" Cinder yelled. She inched her head to the side to notice Cinder being held back by a wave of force, like an unconquerable gust of wind.

Yang felt the force tear at her insides. It was vicious and quick. Efficient. Her heart rate sped up to its max and her chest surged with pain. Her muscles tightened, tore, and healed; her skin flaked off and healed as well. Every time her muscles tore and healed, they would tear again while they still healed. Every skin flake restored was met with two more torn off. And she was losing. This was a battle to the death and she was losing, dying. "Jaune! _JAUNE!_ " She tried to mouth more words, but bearing the pain was just too much. He was already behind her, funneling his aura into her.

* * *

 _Come on, come on, come on!_ Jaune thought, funneling everything he had into Yang, trying his best to pace himself at the same time. Her body was falling apart. Her skin was floating off as it simply healed. Her aura was breaking and regenerating constantly.

"What I want does not matter. I exist to destroy the Berserker!"

He jerked up at the yellow-eyed red dragon. _Destroy? Oh no._ The trap, this was the trap! He jerked his head back to Yang and felt a panic rush over him. _Calm down, Jaune, FOCUS!_ Owain sent her here so she could spring the trap! But why? Was this why Owain wanted the relic destroyed? Because someone could spring the trap against him? Yang's violent growls continued. Her rage-filled screams intensified. The red electricity became lightning and shot outward. For an instant, he saw her hair glow. He furrowed his brow, he steeled himself, he forced out his anxieties. He looked up at the glowing sword in the heart of the dragon. "Yang! Listen to me. Count to three in your head and when you reach three, I want you to give everything you got! I want you to leap up to the sword and give it the biggest punch you've got!" _Or was this Owain's goal?_ It didn't matter. He readied himself. _Two…THREE!_ He forced out every bit of his aura, every ounce of strength he's ever had into her as she roared loudly and forced herself through the storm as the winds blew him away.

A deafening crack and shatter thundered as a bellowing roar from the voice erupted from within the twister. "You overstep your bounds, Berserker! You know not what you do!" A violent energy exploded, forcing them out of the vault back into the school. He stood up. There standing before him was Yang. His jaw dropped, and his eyes went wide. Her hair glowed. It was like pure energy. All the strands of hair fused into one elegantly swaying mass of energy in the form of her hair. A calm storm of red electricity crackled around her body. "Yang?"

She steadied herself and stood up straight. "I'm fine. I've never felt better." Her voice was terrifyingly calm considering what just happened.

"A-a-are you s-sure?" What was this energy? Her aura was powerful. _Powerful_. And just like that, the pure energy that was her hair faded and calmed back to her normal hair as the red electricity disappeared. Her aura's power also dropped dramatically. "Yang?"

The dragon was still alive, and it barreled toward them through the shattered vault door. "Heads up!" Adam yelled, as he readied a draw and swing.

The entire vault quaked as its deafening roar and oppressive draconic form hurdled toward them. Yang got into a fighting stance.

* * *

The feeling was gone, but damn if she didn't feel good then. Whatever that was, it felt…overpowering, but in a good way. Though she was mad. _Owain_ …she gritted her teeth and let out a growl as the dragon opened its mouth wide. "Come and get me!" She sidestepped away from its maw as a massive force threatened to push her back, but her body _demanded_ she stand her ground. She stomped a foot down and rebuffed the force away. Angra Mainyu curved back around as Adam sliced right through though his attack left only a scratch. Cinder floated into the air as it hurdled toward Yang; she released three massive fire lances, though each exploded on hitting it, the dragon brushed them off.

She dodged away from its maw as she saw the red mist form toward her again. She panicked for a split second, regained her senses, and leaped over it, and landed away from it and the mist. "Why? Why do you want me dead?"

It stopped, sprouted red wings, and took a guarded form over them. It's appearance was like if the gods were put together. "That does not matter. But nature demands you die…" The vault quaked again, and the tremors increased, more and more. The vault was collapsing. Thunder clouds formed _within_ the vault chamber. Lightning sparked and jumped between clouds. "And any who consider themselves companions of the Berserker shall die along with her!" A thunderstorm formed and raged violently through the vault.

Jaune stepped out in front.

 **[LINE BREAK HERE]**

Jaune slammed his greatshield out in front of him, stood firmly in place, and held out his sword to his side. _Time to put this into practice!_ He exerted every ounce of aura he had left. Trying to exert it outward, like a barrier. But it was _hard_. He had barely any left, though for him that was still a lot. It was his duty to keep Yang alive. She was their trump card, was his friend. After everything they went through together, every foe they've conquered, even if he died, he would do his damn job! He roared, louder and louder, as he felt reinvigorated. His aura moved outward away from him. Cinder stood to his side, trying to counter the lightning with her own.

The rocks that would've fell on top of them were deflected by his aura. He pushed, stood his ground, closed his eyes, and focused! The barrier—his aura—coalesced, as each of the falling rubble continued to be brushed aside. The dragon roared and flapped its wings. An energy formed in its mouth. Yang stepped up.

"Keep it up Jaune!" Yang said as she moved to the edge of his barrier. "Adam!"

"On it!" He stormed out of the barrier, relying on Cinder's deflecting of the lightning bolts as he parkoured over a few of the falling boulders closer and closer to the dragon as it completely ignored him. "No good! It's only interested in you!" Adam flipped backward and used Moonslice to cut through boulders left and right to aid Jaune.

* * *

Yang rushed out of Jaune's desperate barrier. She knew what that must be doing to him. _If the gods want me dead, then so be it!_ She leaped, following Adam's movements—parkouring over falling boulders, inching closer and closer to the red dragon who's gaze was dead set on her. _But one thing I won't allow…_ She felt a familiar haze though her senses remained intact. Red electricity crackled around her. "Is for you or them to mess with my comrades!" She bellowed as she slammed a fist right through the red ball of energy it unleashed, coming out the other side, and straight into its snout. It recoiled back in agony as cracks radiated around the impact of her punch.

It regained its senses, though she launched herself at it again, and crashed into its forehead with another heavy fist as its head cracked further. It recoiled back again and roared louder. The storm weakened, and so did the quaking as she landed on its snout and slammed a fist into the cracks, and then another fist, then another, and another. She crushed into it again and again with an energy that felt endless as each blow seemed to only invigorate her. She felt a familiar rush, a familiar…purity, as the dragon's eyes widened.

An energy gathered around the dragon as it let out a deafening roar. A force pushed her back, Adam back, as well as Cinder, as Jaune's barrier shattered. She flipped and landed on her feet, charged at the thing again, sidestepping a red blast, sliding under another one, and throwing a punch at the cracks she made before. A red mist seeped out into her, as Adam pushed her aside, dodging the mist himself. She regained her footing and inched closer to the dragon as it created a massive whirlwind around itself, keeping her away from it. Again, a red mist seeped out of it at her. She tried to move out of the way, but it seemed to follow.

Jaune rushed up and let the mist hit his greatshield as it fizzled out of existence. Cinder pushed him away with a gust of wind before the mist could touch him. The dragon roared again and flew higher. She leaped up to it as it unleashed tendrils of red energy out of its mouth. She used blasts from her gauntlets to launch herself over them as Adam used Moonslice to absorb the hit and slice through another one. Cinder floated into the air and fired off her own beams of flame to counter the dragon's attacks.

The dragon roared again and spun upward into the air into a supersonic upward dive straight through the vault. The vault was violently collapsing. "Both of you! Grab my arms!" Cinder yelled as Jaune and Adam rushed over and grabbed onto her as she followed it out of the crumbling vault. Yang followed them with a massive leap through the gaping chasm above. They were in the normal parts of Shade now and the students were fleeing.

Angra Mainyu opened its mouth wide, its head sunk backward, as a massive amount of energy formed at its maw. All of them stood side by side, ready to respond. The energy formed into a ball, a ball that only got bigger and bigger as it shot it up into the clouds. It exploded into a massive thunderstorm as lightning struck down like the wrath of the gods themselves all around the academy and other parts of Vacuo.

"Alright, how are we supposed to beat this thing?" Jaune heaved. "I'm barely holding up here!"

"Push passed it. Or are you weaker than I remember?" Cinder gave him a cocky grin.

He smiled. "Oh don't give me that. I don't want to hear that from you." He brought himself back up to his feet. "Yang, how much juice you got left?"

"Plenty." She wasn't lying either. It was like she was berserk but without the haze. Or…close to it. The lightning kept crashing down. She got the feeling that either Jaune's semblance is still empowering her or that she got a bit stronger. Either way, that thing was going _down!_

Footsteps approached them. "What's going on?" Bran Wisecrow said.

"Tell everyone to keep away from that thing. It'll only kill them! Leave that thing to us!" Jaune said, stepping in front of the four of them.

"You sure you can keep going?" Yang said.

"Don't really have a choice, do I? Don't worry. I'll be wringing out every last bit of aura from my soul. I'm not out yet!"

That sounded dangerous. It wasn't like willpower didn't increase the rate at which their aura regenerated, but that _did_ sound dangerous. All the more reason why that thing needed to die. "Well! Let's go!" She blazed toward it with a fury she didn't know she had. It almost felt like she _was_ berserk, yet without the mental effects of it. Like if her body was berserked but not her mind. The dragon roared at them again and formed massive boulders out of thin air and hurled them at them. Adam leaped in front and in a quick succession of movements, cut through one with Moonslice, absorbed the impact from a bolt of lightning and cut through another one.

Yang leaped up and punched through another as Cinder swayed her hand up with a powerful fireball and hurled it at the other boulder. The dragon charged her and breathed out that red mist again, though she leaped over it and landed on its back and slammed her fist onto its spine as it reeled in pain, sinking lower to the ground though it caught its bearings and spun around, knocking her off its back. Cinder charged up a powerful beam of near-white energy and blasted the dragon as Adam absorbed a few more lightning bolts and stabbed into the dragon's foot with Moonslice, managing to hurt it a bit as he was now latched onto it.

As the dragon kept spinning it was barreling toward Jaune as he stood his ground, readying his greatsword; the moment it reached him, he sidestepped and swung his sword into the beast, letting its own motion do the work for him as he bellowed out a crescendoing roar. It crashed into the ground, as both her and Adam leaped off to safety. The dragon stood back up, though it was definitely hurt. _How much more can this thing take?_ It didn't matter. She'll keep punching it till it became dust!

* * *

Raven perched up atop the window sill, watching Owain sleep in his chambers. _How much does this guy sleep?_ She was still bothered by his face. This whole situation irked her. It was practically like watching Yang sleep. The man was a walking contradiction. He presented himself elegantly, looked practically pampered, yet had a pigsty for a room, was awfully docile for someone who was supposed to be a monster and was acting like their ally despite being their enemy. She also couldn't ignore his interest in her. Why? Before, he stated that it was becau—

A knock came at the door. A chill went down her spine as she felt malevolence emanate from his aura as his eyes slid open. "Yes?" He said.

"Sir, but may I request that you come to Living Quarters? There's something you should see on the news," The butler said.

"Why would I want to watch the news, dear butler?" Owain snapped.

"W-well, it pertains to Vacuo. There is a red dragon that has appeared there, and it is tearing the city apart!"

He smiled. "Is that so? That's good to hear."

 _Red dragon? Vacuo?_ Her gut indicated that Yang was in danger. But a red dragon? She heard about the dust dragon Ruby mentioned, so maybe it was that. Only one way to find out. She flew off over to where the Living Quarters were, where a number of televisions had been placed. Owain took his time but still arrived rather quickly, still putting on a long silk robe; she could almost make out a massive scar across his torso. There displayed on the news was an enormous red dragon in which— _Oh no…_

She saw Jaune slide his greatsword through the dragon as it crashed landed, though it swerved back up into the sky and launched itself at him. The camera picked up tiny images of a familiar yellow mane of hair. What in the hell happened there?

"Ah, so the test begins!"

 _Test?_

"To kill such a mangy husk of a beast is no small task. She'll have to push beyond her limits if she wishes to survive."

 _Owain you bastard!_ This was the trap. Whatever that red dragon was, was what Owain intended for Yang to find, that much was clear now. He wanted her to get stronger by killing the thing. But…if it helped solve her issue, did it really matter? She couldn't do anything to help without her portals. Every fiber of her being wanted to fly off and somehow make it there, to save the one person she should have raised, but she wasn't a fool. Wasted effort was wasted effort. One thing _was_ for certain though. If Yang died, then she would do whatever it took to kill Owain. Berserker or not, she wasn't going to let him get away with that.

* * *

Yang charged straight at the dragon as it charged up another expanding ball of energy. It shot it into the sky again as the ground quaked, the thunderstorm turned even more violent as the number of lightning strikes practically doubled in their number and rate at which they struck. It wasn't just Shade anymore. This thing was tearing up the city of Vacuo! She got hit by a bolt of lightning as she reeled in pain, letting out a painful yell. She fell downward as she saw the red mist approach from the breath of the dragon's turned head. It touched her and she almost felt like her body shattered, though Cinder pushed her out of it with a gust of wind.

Her heart thumped. _Perfect timing!_ It thumped again, yet she still felt clear-headed. The dragon turned its head amidst the violent storm and the mist along with it. She landed on the ground and sprinted away from it. Cinder flew over it, raised her left hand high in the air as if to chuck a spear, as a massive spear-like energy formed in her hand. She threw it at the dragon as it sunk into the cracks and exploded. It roared as the mist dissipated, and the instant it did, Yang pivoted around and launched herself up to it and with a crescendoing roar swung a fist at the cracks. She felt a rush of power. Power and clarity. Calmness. All her worries, stress, angers, and fears disappeared in an instant as an energy formed around her right fist—a red crackling electrical energy—as she swung _hard_ into its wounds. Her fist sunk deep as it let out an anguished, deafening cry. The cracks grew wider and wider. They radiated throughout its body as it was in a freefall to the ground. The storm slowly waned. She pulled out her fist and leaped off to safety with the others.

It crashed. The cracks expanded until it consumed its entire body as it exploded. The energy consuming every building, rock, car, and light post in its path. _Crap!_ She had a moment of realization. Something she forgot about. She turned around, scanned her environment, found the hole they came out of, and rushed over it, leaping down back into the vault. Her vision blurred, her muscles locked up, her veins burned, and she collapsed onto the ground.

* * *

"Yang!" He rushed over to her. He knelt beside her. Her eyes were lilac, and she was nowhere near as exhausted as he was familiar with.

She heaved as she lifted herself up. "I'm fine. Better than last time at least!" She let out a strained laugh.

Her hair had turned into pure energy again right before she landed the killing blow. And in that moment, he felt a terrifying power exude from her.

"Guys…" Adam walked up to them, staring off into the vault.

"That's not good. Seems like we did exactly as was expected. Well…Yang did I suppose," Cinder said.

Jaune looked off into the vault to notice the scattered, cold, lightless shards of what was originally the Gift of Destruction. _Just as I thought, though way too late._

"That…" Yang heaved a bit more. "Bastard. He used me. He _used_ me!" She heaved even more. "Oh when we get back to Mistral…"

"Guys help Yang out. I need to contact the others." Cinder nodded as he stood up, walked away from them—though still within earshot—and called Qrow. He picked up. "Hey, Qrow, we uhh, we're done here."

"What? The hell you talking about? Did it work? Is Yang stronger? Has she fixed her problem?" Qrow said. "And what the hell was all that business with the dragon?"

 _Guess the media was out on the scene despite the danger,_ he thought. He looked back at Yang. _What was that form?_ "I get the feeling Yang did get stronger, though we have another problem."

"What is it?"

"The Gift of Destruction has been destroyed."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So Angra Mainyu was originally supposed to pop up in some forgotten underground ruins or something, but after the revelation with the relics in the show, I figured I'd combine two plot threads together, since I didn't really know how to execute Angra Mainyu well without spending a butt load of time having them travel around for whatever reason in search of ruins. Not sure if it worked out, but hey! Anyway...hope you enjoy! Questions, comments, reviews, etc. are all welcome!


	16. Yang's Arc Chapter 14

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 14 – Scales Against Steel**

 **Author's Note:** Had a strange bout of writer's block the last few days. Ended up moving this chapter passed my usual upload schedule. Hope you all enjoy! :D

* * *

 _Great._ Qrow thought. Another mystery. Good thing he stopped drinking too. Not that he wasn't used to this sort of thing by now, but man oh man did he feel duped. He could hear Jaune break into a heavy panting episode through the scroll. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah, just…pushed…myself a little too…hard is all," Jaune said.

"Guess you guys had one hell of a fight!" Hopefully Yang got something out of it. Though now he was doubting everything. He had this suspicion that they were back to square one. Completely ignorant and with no leads to follow.

"Qrow, what is it?" Raven asked. "Did they make it? Is Yang okay?"

He never got tired of seeing his sister care for Yang. She really had come a long way. Tai wanted her to take baby steps, nothing too crazy. He was proud of her for that. Proud and happy.

" _Well?_ " She snapped.

"Yeah? What's with the creepy smile, Qrow? Does that mean she's alright?" Tai asked.

"Qrow?" Jaune said.

"Hold on Jaune, I need you to tell me everything, but first let me relay the message." He looked over to everyone. "Yang is fine, though it was a trap as we suspected. Owain's played us for fools."

"What? What does that mean? Qrow, what happened?" Raven asked.

"The Gift of Destruction is gone. It's been destroyed."

And they were shocked. As he'd expected. "Talk to me Jaune, what happened?"

Jaune took a deep breath. "Alright, here goes." Jaune relayed everything he saw within the Vault of the Summer Maiden. It took him a few minutes to absorb it all after he hung up. What in the hell was Angra Mainyu? Why did the gods— _both_ of them apparently—create it to destroy Yang, or Owain for that matter? _Owain knew Yang was the Berserker shortly after they met, didn't he?_ Was that when he got the idea to destroy the Gift of Destruction? He must have known about the entity hiding inside of it. Why else seek to destroy it? He recalled Raven having mentioned Owain having a secret that could hurt him. Was this it? Then there was the fact that he wanted Yang to get stronger. It was all starting to come together, but that only raised even more questions. What happens now, being the biggest one of all. That and what in the hell was Owain's endgame.

Raven furrowed her brow and sighed. "Alright, talk. We've waited enough!"

"Yeah. Alright. Apparently, as Yang approached the vault door, the relic started to respond violently. It destroyed the vault door and when Yang got close enough, it unleashed a monstrous red dragon calling itself Angra Mainyu—the one that showed up on the news."

Oscar furrowed his brow. "You're joking, right? You have to be joking! That doesn't sound like the relic!"

"Well that's the thing. According to Jaune, the force itself said it was created by the gods to destroy the Berserker. When Yang destroyed the relic, it didn't seem to have an effect on the dragon."

Oscar's eyes widened. "You're kidding!"

"Is that why Owain wanted it destroyed?" Tai asked.

"Yeah, I thought the same thing. He sent Yang over to spring the trap rather than have it used against him, most likely."

Raven crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "And now with the relic destroyed, that's one less thing to challenge him."

The only problem was why now? Had Ruby not went to talk with him, would he still have suggested the idea? Something wasn't right here. Then there was the matter of the invasion. With the relic gone, what reason would Owain have to invade? One thing became clear to him however, there was still a _lot_ they had yet to learn.

"So what do we do?" Tai asked.

"I think we just sit around and wait. Not much we can do till Owain does something. With Blake gone for now, we won't exactly be able to take the guy down for the moment." He looked over to Ruby. She seemed to be considering something. "Ruby?"

"What about the other relics? If we're right about the rest of us, would something similar happen? If I turn out to be the Warrior and I went to get the Gift of Choice, would something pop out of it?"

She had a point. It was an obvious point in fact. He recalled Nero having sealed away access to the vault, at least through Raven anyway. Which was probably to prevent us from using it against him.

"This whole thing is…" Oscar sighed. He seemed a bit down all of a sudden.

Qrow sat down at a nearby chair and swung one leg over the other. "You okay?"

"The gods knew they would come back. And they planned to kill them! Why?"

"Hey don't ask me! I don't know!"

Oscar sighed again. "I know, I just…"

"Why is that such a big deal?" Ruby asked. "If Yang managed to destroy the dragon, then the others can be defeated as well, so…"

"It's not that, it's…" Oscar paused. A bit too long if he was being honest. "Freya—the original Berserker—she, she was my—well _his_ mother."

That came as a bit of a surprise to everyone. "Oh," Qrow said.

"Well, not birth mother. Adoptive mother. To find out that there was some bad blood between those four and the gods is…yeah, it sort of bothers me. Even though Ozma's not around anymore, I still feel an attachment to some of his memories."

"Something's not right about that…" Raven said. "If there was some sort of trap built in to each of the relics, why didn't they trigger before?"

"You mean for the four of you? I assume it's because the blessings are quite distinct from the real thing. That and at the time, none of the maidens awakened their blessings which meant that although the magic was attached to it—hence why only they could open the doors—it wasn't really…at the surface if that makes sense," Oscar said.

"It could also be that the gods were smart enough to ensure that they'll only pop out when the real thing shows up and not just someone with a small piece of some blessing," Tai said.

Qrow knew Tai was probably right. He slouched a little. "And would only show up when they awaken. Owain needed Yang to awaken, otherwise when we got the relic, it wouldn't spring the trap."

"Which means we can't use the relics as a test." Raven looked over to Ruby. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mean we should be quick to put your lives in danger, but it'd be nice to get absolute confirmation that the rest of team RWBY have some hidden power to awaken. We _are_ going to need it after all."

Ruby nodded. She looked solemn all of a sudden.

"Ruby?" Strange. She's had that expression come up a few times now. He figured she was just worried about Yang. But something was off.

"No need to keep it secret, Rube," Raven said.

"Keep what secret?" Oscar said.

Ruby sighed and walked over to a cushioned bench. She sat down. "Yesterday. When I went to sleep, I had a weird dream. When I woke up Morgan was gone. And I'm worried."

"She's gone?" Oscar said.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that she wouldn't answer me. I felt weird when I woke up. I had another headache, and things seemed…different. Maybe it was just the dream, I don't know."

"What was so weird about the dream?" Tai asked.

"Hmm? Oh, well…" She was clearly trying to remember. "Not sure…I think…thorns? I remember there being a grave of wilted roses and a path of blue thorns. They led me to an abandoned city of some sort. A place I didn't recognize. I woke up after a burning light engulfed me."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Huh. You'd think a dream would be more of a mess than that. The fact that Morgan seemingly went MIA after that could mean something. Maybe something to do with your powers? I mean you _did_ say you felt different, right?"

"There's something else. There was a voice. A man's voice. It…was warning me about something. I don't know what, but…"

"A man's voice?" Oscar said. "Hmm…A dream that seems too well put together, a man's voice giving a warning, and Morgan's disappearance."

"Here's hoping that means Ruby's awakening," Tai said.

"Hopefully," Ruby said solemnly.

"What is it?" Tai asked.

"Morgan's a part of me. I know we were originally whole, but…"

"Got a little too close to her, huh?" Raven said.

"Yeah… The strange thing is, is that it happened so fast! I just kind of accepted her and treated her like she was this real person, except inside of me, and I'm so worried about her and it's weird!"

"You know…Ruby…" He felt like he needed to say it. Her attachment to Morgan was probably unhealthy however inevitable it was. Sure, being in a good relationship with one's literal darkside was probably a good thing, but this was…more complicated. "If you are the Warrior, and honestly, the fact that you have a literal darkside is probably a good sign, then we have to consider the possibility of Morgan disappearing or rejoining you if and when you awaken."

She furrowed her brow. She looked down. "I know."

Oscar smiled. "Well, let's not get too worried about that for now. Give it time! We can't say for certain what happened to Morgan."

Ruby forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah. Besides, not sure what I can do about that right now."

"Great. So we sit back, relax, and wait for Yang and the others to return from Vacuo." Qrow stood up and stretched. He wanted to check something out. "Hey, when was the last time we checked up on Lower Mistral? It's been a little while since the meeting in the mansion."

"Yeah, someone should go check the place," Oscar said.

"Was thinking about doing just that," Qrow said. "Also, I'll send Blake a message about what happened. Figured she should be kept up to date."

"I'll cover Weiss," Ruby said.

* * *

Blake pocketed her scroll after reading the long message from Qrow. She flushed. She rushed up to Nero and slapped him as she recoiled back in surprise. _I didn't actually think it'd connect._

"Figured I deserved that," He said.

"What was that about? Why did some monster erupt from the sword? Why did it try and kill Yang?"

"The monster was a trap built into the sword that was to trigger upon the Berserker's approach, but only if they were separated from the other three."

"Trap?"

"Something the gods built in to each of the relics when they first made them. Their "official" purpose was to aid humanity, but their real purpose was to ensure the death of the four warriors should they somehow return. Well…besides the whole judgement day thing."

"What?" Why would the gods do that? They couldn't predict the future. The obvious answer was that something happened between the originals and the gods before they disappeared. Why else build a trap for them? She had an idea, though she felt like it was pointless to try as she already suspected it would fail. "So Jinn…"

"Will kill you if you approach her."

 _Well, that's surprising._ Interesting how he would outright reveal her as the Huntress yet won't show his face. She sighed and walked up to his bookshelf, pulling out _A Treatise on Faunus Rights_. She had read this book years ago. In fact, almost everything on his shelf was something she either read or had a passing familiarity with. _The four warriors were supposed to be embodiments of the values by which humanity was founded upon…_ but these values everyone had to a degree, some more than others, and in differing amounts. As she thought about it, the obvious thought was that the warriors specialized in these values to such a degree that perhaps the gods took notice. So since she was the Huntress, she would be Knowledge, right? So would that mean when she awakened, she would have visions or something? Mind reading? Shadows. Nero's power was related to shadows, like hers. There was the possibility that his intangibility was in fact just a clever, expert use of their regular semblance. She was able to avoid fatal hits before, even as they seemingly hit her. She smiled. She felt a sudden desire to spar with Yang to test that theory, though she realized something. She turned around to face him. "Nero, please tell me you didn't agree to an alliance just for that to happen!"

"Actually no, believe it or not. I—" He cut himself off. "I really do need your help here."

"Why would I believe you? You've lied to me before. You'd lie to me again." She crossed her arms. "Why shouldn't I walk right out of here and go back to my duties? I'm not sure I can even rely on you for aid in taking down Owain!"

"You won't leave."

She dropped her arms and walked toward the exit.

"Wait."

She stopped. _Can't you foresee this, Nero?_ Maybe his power wasn't mind reading, foresight, or whatever. He's been ignorant before. Whatever it was that allowed him to know things was clearly not infallible.

He put his hand to his face and took off his mask. There was a scar that went up the right side of his chin almost to the bottom of his lip, but the rest of his face…

She felt her skin prickle. Goosebumps formed down her arms. "Who are you?" Just like Owain. Knowing it, believing it, and actually confirming it were very different things. What Yang and Raven discussed...If this didn't prove Owain wasn't Raven's son, then she didn't know what would. Though there _was_ the off chance that _she_ had a brother—a twin—she _somehow_ didn't know about, though unlike Raven, Mom and Dad never had a questionable past. Then there was Percival; she doubted Percival was the King even more now. She didn't get Weiss vibes from his appearance.

He put his mask back on. "You and I see things differently. A result of our experiences, our struggles, our journeys, our friends…Which is why I'm hoping how you see the world will be of benefit. Will you stay?"

She furrowed her brow. _Not sure I can leave now._ His face almost compelled her to stay and she got the feeling that was what he intended. "Yeah. I'll stay. For now. But I still don't trust you, nor do I have any reason to."

"Hopefully that will change, Blake."

"Something we agree on, then. And you can start to earn my trust by telling me what Owain is planning." She made eye contact with him. Well, as best she could.

He didn't respond.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Tell me without revealing your wonderful plans or whatever."

He chuckled. "Owain has recently released a man by the name of Shan Huang. Has a particular hatred for faunus. Uses them as shields, fodder for his armies, and is rather cruel in his methodology. I'm sure you've heard of him."

"I have in fact. Why would he release him?" Shan Huang was an infamous name among faunus. He didn't just use them as slaves; he would often force them to be shields in his banditry. She had heard he was executed, though she wasn't surprised to find out he was imprisoned instead. He probably had his uses, and she figured he might have had connections to Salem.

"To make him the head of his military. Owain plans to start a war. My prediction is that an incident will occur at a protest; something to allow the "first shot to be fired" so to speak. Something to spark the war. Shan will use this as an excuse to enact martial law in Mistral. Owain wants to use this to increase tensions. To give the other nations more of a reason to want him dead."

"Why?"

"Can't say."

" _Ugh!" Wait, does that mean Nero wants this war to happen?_ He wouldn't reveal his plans. Did that mean that whatever he wanted, whatever _their_ goal was, required this war? _No, don't be stupid_. Nero wouldn't allow her to figure that out so easily. This is a trap, an illusion. _Read between the lines, Blake._ "So what's your motivation for wanting Owain stopped? The faunus?"

"Yes. You and I have a common interest there. The White Fang will be drawn into the conflict thanks to Shan. He'll…insist that they do."

"You'd think if he did that, the government will lose all of their support!"

"They will, but you forget the New Dawn. Many of their numbers are loyal to Owain and they are backed up by mindless machinery that don't form political views."

He had a point there. The more they got access to Atlas tech that Atlas apparently can't do anything about, the less Owain needed to be concerned about public opinion. But why? What's the endgame? She sighed. "Alright. This is a good start." She shot him a smile. At least he was being more open. She saw his face, and maybe has a little bit of insight on what might happen. Except now she had another thing on her mind, something that was sure to nag at her until she did it. She had to find out how to awaken or whatever. If she even needed to do that.

"Glad that it helped."

* * *

Yang walked into Bran Wisecrow's office. It looked like it dodged most of the storm. Cinder had picked up the shards and put them in a pouch. Thankfully, she was nowhere near exhausted as the last time she went Berserk. She was tired as all hell, but she could manage. Though she _did_ feel odd. She coughed.

"So, how'd it go?" Bran asked. She slouched back on her chair with not a care in the world. "Mind telling me what happened? I wasn't expecting a good portion of Vacuo to suffer this kind of damage."

"Well…" Jaune laughed nervously.

Cinder walked up to her desk, took the pouch, and emptied out its contents directly in front of her.

Bran looked down at it as her brow furrowed. "I see." She looked up to them. "Want to paint me a picture?"

Cinder walked to the side and sat down on a bench. "Seems like this is what Owain intended. Considering his powers are the same as Yang's, he might have originally meant to trigger the trap himself, though it's possible he always intended Yang to be the one to do it."

"So does this mean the invasion is off? This is…" Bran let her head drop onto her hand, perching it up on top of her desk. "You mentioned a trap. Explain."

Jaune stepped forward. "The dragon that showed up came from the sword and it was apparently created to kill Yang or Owain—whichever one of them approached the relic."

"Odd." Bran sighed. "I'll contact the other headmasters. Inform them of what happened. I think you all need to get back. Who knows what Owain will do, now that the relic has been destroyed. And unfortunately, I get the feeling hiding the fact that it has been won't stop him from knowing."

"What'll you do now?" Yang asked.

"No clue. I have to sit and wait to see the response. I'll still be helping to mobilize Vacuo just in case, however."

"We'll be off then." Cinder looked over to her. "Owain will probably want to see you."

"Oh believe me, I know." She looked over to Jaune. "What did you see exactly? Did you see anything? When I…"

"Oh, you were…well." He scratched his head. "Your aura was crazy powerful. How much of that was due to my semblance, I couldn't tell you, but your hair was practically pure energy, and you had that red electricity, though it was…calmer somehow."

"I saw it too," Cinder said. "Whatever that form was was probably what we came for. Not sure what'll happen to you now if you get pushed near death, but it's probably a good idea not to find out."

"Yeah, you're probably right." _My hair was pure energy?_ The hell did that mean? All she could remember of that moment was that she felt like she could do anything, overcome anything…defeat anything. She felt…free. She hoped that that was a sign of some sort. A way of informing her something changed. Though Cinder _was_ right. She had to act like she'd die if she was brought that far, just like any other person. That Berserk state was something she didn't want to rely upon, despite her earlier thoughts on how she'd try and look at it differently. _Just pretend it doesn't exist._

"By the way, our ride back…" Jaune said.

"Same ship you came on. It'll still be there. I've instructed the pilot to be ready for your arrival."

* * *

Alexis walked down the hallway, periodically looking over his shoulder. _First Owain, and now a dragon?_ Vacuo suffered enormous damages and he couldn't possibly figure out from what. Sure, the physical side of things was obvious, but what did it mean? He's been given nothing so far from Albus and he had plenty of reason to believe they were in league as much as he claims not to be. He stopped in place. How much did he know? He had been keeping the profits flowing, the materials coming in, and even provided schematics for advanced designs he had never seen before. Where in the hell did all that come from? His own dust-tuned design paled in comparison to this _Mage_ design he showed him, yet he has yet to see one in person. Could that be a ploy? Was the man manipulating him? Hell, he hasn't even _met_ him, since he insists communicating solely via scroll.

He was tired of this. Owain thought himself invincible and by the gods he very well might be, but that wasn't his concern. His negligence was useful. Perhaps he could…He returned to his walk. He quickened his pace and went over to his private chambers. He sat down and took out his scroll. He dialed Albus' number. It rang and rang, but he never answered. He tossed his scroll onto the table and sighed. He had to keep old James busy. He still respected him after all these years, yet he was still short-sighted. He was always too busy concerning himself with whatever current war was going on and never the long term future of the world, of humanity. And yet—

His scroll rang. He picked it up. Speak of the devil. It was James. He sighed and answered. "James! It's good to hear from you again. How goes your side of things?"

"You tell me. What is Owain doing? You're supposed to be keeping up to date. With what just happened to Vacuo, I'm anxious for answers."

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"That's what you've been telling me, and I'm no longer inclined to believe it."

"I'm serious. He really is just sitting around doing nothing. And sleeping. _Maybe_ eating a tiny bite here and there, and then more sleeping. I'm honestly surprised he bothered to sign any of the policies I've handed over to him at your suggestion!"

"Do you have any idea what he has planned?"

Alexis leaned in, resting his left arm on the table. "Do you remember old Shan Huang?"

James chuckled. "That old bastard? I remember back in the day when he led that half-assed attack on Mantle. Crazy psychopath."

Alexis returned the chuckle. "And then he ended up using the civilians as hostages. Man was apparently just a brutal savage. He even riled up the faunus slaves into revolt."

"Only to use them too." James sighed. "Bad memories. And?"

"Well, my dear governor has decided to pardon him. He's been given command over the entire Mistral Military, though the public is not aware."

" _What?_ "

"Furthermore, the New Dawn scientists are currently developing a new templar model."

"Details. Give them to me."

"It's been given the model number "T-1000", though it doesn't have a designation yet. As to its capabilities, I can only tell you its predecessor, the T-800, was the one responsible for Argus. Liquid Metal Dust, my friend. Acts like a virus. Spreads, solidifies, and replaces the material it covers."

"Send me whatever data you have on it. I want to see it!"

"Done. Give me a moment." Alexis fiddled with the scroll, finding the files he had on it and sent them over. "That's all I have at the moment."

"Thank you." It sounded like James was suddenly spoken to by someone on his end. "Understood. Look, Alexis. I'll contact you soon. If you can find anything on this T-1000, do so. We can't afford to let this get any more out of hand than it already has."

"Understood, General! Farewell then!" He hung up. He slouched back and sighed. Now if only he could get in contact with Albus.

* * *

Weiss walked down the steps of the building. Good thing Haven had a place for meetings like that. Thankfully, it hadn't been hit during the New Dawn's attack. "Thank you all for that lovely meeting. It was quite fruitful!" They had agreed to keep a steady flow of dust shipments to high-risk areas in Mistral to aid in the defense of citizenry. She would also work with her competitors to cut off dust to the New Dawn as a way of sanctioning them. Hopefully that helped in preventing a war.

"Likewise, Ms. Schnee!" Ghira walked beside her, along with Glynda. Bran was feeling anxious to return home and left much earlier than expected, but it wasn't too big of a deal.

"Though I'm concerned about Vacuo. Bran left a message detailing what happened," Glynda said.

"Yes, and thankfully Qrow's also heard of what happened and sent me a message with all the details as well. Though I can't say what this means for this whole war business," Weiss said.

"Owain is a strange man and I couldn't possibly come up with an idea as to what that man is thinking," Ghira said. He coughed a little. "Either way, we should all keep our eyes open and our heads clear. I wouldn't be surprised if conspiracy theories began spreading, blaming the governor for the attack on Vacuo."

Weiss stopped and turned around. "Indeed. Well, I'll be off. I should go meet with the others. I'll be sure to stay in touch!"

"Of course, Ms. Schnee! Do take care!" Ghira said.

"It was good seeing you again Weiss," Glynda said.

Weiss curtsied and walked off with Percy beside her. "Well, it's settled."

"Still don't agree with how they're putting this all on you," Percy said.

"Oh come now, stop worrying! Besides, as I said before, I'm choosing to do this."

"I understand that but based on what you've told me regarding these warriors, I worry about your safety. It _is_ my job after all. One I took willingly."

She furrowed her brow. Again with this. "What would you have me do then? Honestly."

He sighed, then smiled. "To be honest, I'm not sure I could convince you. I…just be careful, Weiss."

She returned the smile. "I don't intend to throw my life away." She faced forward and continued her stride. "Besides, you're going to fight Owain with us!"

"Pardon?"

She chuckled. "I've never seen you fight before, you know. Save for that one time when we went to sign that treaty over in Mantle."

"I suppose as your bodyguard I do have to join you. Hopefully these rumors about the governor are overstated."

"Well, if what I've heard is true, then he's more powerful than Yang, and Yang's incredibly strong! Which means we have our work cut out for us. Though I'm not too worried! Yang will be there after all!"

He let out a laugh. "Well, then I'll try not to worry as well! Where to now, by the way?"

"To the headmaster's office. I'll be sticking with Ruby and the others till we finish this." Ghira's office was not too far from where they were. He had other matters to attend to so he wouldn't return for a while, so he'll have to be filled in on whatever they came up with later.

"How long has it been since you all fought together?"

"Hmm…a few years now. We kinda went our separate ways. We stayed in touch, but…well, we had our own lives to live." She smiled. "I'm actually excited. Excited and anxious. We'll be fighting again, and I only hope I haven't slacked off _too_ much."

He smiled. "I'm sure you'll do fine. Though if I'm understanding the situation correctly, Yang has awakened a lot of power recently, so don't feel too bad if she blows past you."

She chuckled. "Well, that I'll always expect." After another minute or two of walking, they both reached the office and walked inside, meeting Raven, Tai, Oscar, and Ruby as they seemed anxious.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted.

She waved and smiled. "I got Qrow's message. Has Yang gotten back yet?"

"No. Though she should be close by. Jaune sent a message saying they're close to Mistral," Raven said.

"Well that's good. Though we'll need to wait for Blake now. Think I'll contact her. I know she's indisposed at the moment with Nero, but I think I can get her to come meet with us," Weiss said. She called Blake who was quick to answer.

"Weiss?" She said.

"Hey! When are you coming to meet with us? I'm here in your father's office waiting on Yang. And you."

"Not sure I can at the moment. I—"

"Blake?"

"Sorry, apparently Nero says it's fine actually. Not that I need his permission."

"It's more like I'll be joining you over there," A voice said. She assumed it was Nero.

"I mean that's fine. If he's going to help us, then he'll have to come here," Weiss said.

"What?" Raven said.

"Listen, Weiss. I saw Nero's face." _Oh boy…_ If she was about to say what she thought she was. Well, another thing to worry about then.

She heard Nero chuckle a little.

"I hope you didn't think I wouldn't tell them!" Blake said.

"No, it's fine. Go ahead," Nero said.

"Blake, what did you see?"

"He…he looks just like me. It's just like Yang and Owain. Like he could be my brother!"

Then that probably meant… "Hold on. I'll need to tell the others. Come right away! Yang's on her way back from Vacuo."

"Of course!" Blake said.

"Tell us what?" Oscar said.

"Apparently, Blake saw Nero's face and it's just like with Yang and Owain," Weiss said. Now _she_ was starting to get anxious about this whole ordeal. Did that mean that this Albus she's been hearing about looked like her? Their names _did_ mean the same thing.

Raven smiled solemnly. "See?"

"Was there any doubt?" Tai said. "Though I think that probably confirms Owain wasn't lying when he said they looked alike because of their power." Tai laughed a little. "I think Yang's gonna be happy to have one less thing to worry about."

"Though that probably means there's this dude out there somewhere that looks like me and somehow gets his own dust dragon," Ruby pouted. "Seriously? Why does he get one and not me?"

Weiss smiled. "Never change, Ruby." She focused back on Blake. "Anyway! Let me know when—" Suddenly, from the corners of the room, shadows coalesced and formed into two solid shapes. Blake and what she assumed was Nero appeared. Everyone put their guards up.

"It's alright! Nero decided to come the fast way apparently." Blake turned to him. "You have to tell me how you do that."

"Perhaps some other time," Nero said.

The tension in the air became palpably thick. "So…Nero, I assume?" Weiss reached out a hand to shake his.

He returned the gesture and shook. "Good for us to finally meet." He looked over to Percy. "And this is?"

Percy reached out to shake Nero's hand. "Percival Crescent. I'm Weiss' bodyguard. I understand you've agreed to help Blake here in aiding our take down of one particularly naughty governor, despite your apparent differences. Allow me to thank you for that."

Nero didn't respond and retracted his hand after the shake. She noticed Raven glaring at the man. "Still bothered by what I did?"

"You're damn right I am!" Raven said.

"Nero," Oscar said, standing up from his cushioned seating. "The relics. Did you know about them? Is that why you sealed the vault?"

"Nero confirmed I'm the Huntress. Apparently if I approach the lamp, Jinn will kill me," Blake said.

"Wait, does that mean you've…" Ruby scratched her head. "I'm confused."

"To be honest, this is fair. We don't know anything about their powers. I think it's fine we're making assumptions that could be wrong. If Yang awakened, it might not mean the others need to. Something else might need to be done, or…" Oscar looked back over to Nero.

"It's complicated," Nero said.

Raven stepped forward. "Your face. _Now_."

Nero reached for his mask and took it off.

Just then, the doors to the office opened. "Don't mind me, I just came to pick something up that I—good gods!" Ghira apparently got a glimpse of the man's face. He looked over to Blake with a look of confusion on his face.

"Oh! Just to get this out of the way." Blake pointed at Nero. "He's not my brother, right?"

" _What?_ No! You don't have a—who are you?" Ghira paused as his brow furrowed. "I recognize you. Well. Parts of you. Nero, I assume?"

"Indeed," Nero said.

"So this means?" Ghira looked at them all with his eyes widened.

"It does," Blake said.

Ghira sighed. "Now I know how Raven felt. My oh my that's weird!"

"You're telling me!" Blake said.

And sooner or later she would probably meet her fated doppelganger. What in the world was _he_ like? They had little to go on about Albus, except that so far, he's been acting behind the scenes. _Could he be somewhere in Atlas?_

"Weiss?" Percival said.

"Hmm?"

"Is everything alright?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it!"

* * *

Yang and the others arrived back in Mistral, though before they landed… "Hey, drop me off near the mansion."

"Excuse you?" Cinder said.

"I'm going alone." Time to confront him. She felt…betrayed for some reason. It was _weird_ feeling that way about him, but she couldn't shake it. This very day she dwelled on that damn connection, and now following his lead almost killed her. In fact, she _would_ be dead if it weren't for Jaune. He was the only reason why any of them made it out!

Jaune scratched his head. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. If you want to send help, talk to the others!" She opened the hatch and leaped out onto the stone path below and strode toward the mansion. She clenched her prosthetic fist as tightly as she could as she heard the airship fly away. The pouch with the shards of the sword were squeezed tightly within her grasp. _What Jaune saw…_ She reached the mansion door and forced her way passed the door guards who made no effort to stop her and she understood why. She pushed open the doors only to be confronted by Alexis.

"Ms. Xiao Long? What are you—"

" _Move_."

Sweat poured down the side of his face as he stepped aside.

She walked right passed him. She knew where _he_ was. She stormed up the steps, down the hall, and tore off the door from its hinges. There he was. He was sleeping, though he awoke with a rage that died down the instant it came. She felt fear that very instant, though it disappeared just like the rage.

He smiled.

She threw the pouch onto the ground in front of him as the shards fell out of it.

He gazed at them. "How was it? Was it a struggle?"

"I would have died had it not been for my friend!"

Owain turned to let his legs hang off the side of his bed. He had a massive scar across his chest. "And because of that, you've become stronger! Make no mistake Yang, they wouldn't have been able to kill the thing without you."

"What's your game here? What do you want? The relic is gone, so what reason do you have now to want me to get stronger?"

"Can't sa—"

She hooked him right in his jaw as he fell off the side of the bed. "You almost killed me! You _owe_ me that much!" The hell was she saying? She chalked it up to their strange connection. Auras' resonating, their shared power, magic–whatever the hell it was! She was tired of it, and she wanted answers.

He got up. "Oh my…" He massaged his jaw. "That hurt so good!" He chuckled. "I wish I could tell you, believe me I do. But I swore an oath to our leader. If you should know the truth, it'll be at his insistence."

Was it the Warrior? "So I'm getting nothing from you then?"

"Nothing useful."

She furrowed her brow and clenched her fist. She just now realized her eyes were red. Owain smiled. A thought popped in her mind. A stupid, dumb, idiotic, and super risky thought, but… "Fight me."

He raised an eyebrow as his smile widened into a grin. "Wish to test your newfound strength?"

She pushed out the thought that he was too powerful. That the fact they had the same power meant she was doomed to lose. He wasn't invincible. She knew that better than anyone. But she needed something, something concrete to let her know just how apart their power was. She also had to try and beat him here and now.

"Very well. If you'll excuse me then. I'll need to get changed. Go see to the butler. Have him escort you to the gardens. We'll use that as our arena."

She placed a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow. "You sure that's big enough?"

"Why? Do you intend to break everything around you?"

She smirked. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Well, why don't you give it a look over. It's pretty wide."

"Guess I will." She left the room and found the butler. She asked him about the garden and where it was, and he was quick to take her over to it. Upon arriving through the large gate-like double doors at the back of the mansion, she walked down the surprisingly long stairway as she gazed upon what was a vast area filled with cherry blossoms, wisterias, patches and patches of different flowers, with streams of water placed between small wooden gates over thin, deep green grass. She took it all in with her mouth half agape. Shame that this was to be where they fought, though where else would they fight?

The background breeze picked up and dropped in temperature. She looked up and noticed the darkening clouds moving around, almost in a swirl. The winds were strong enough to howl now and she was still waiting for it to rain. _It's getting worse,_ she thought. By now everyone assumed Owain had something to do with it, but now she was wondering _how_. It's not like she could do something like that. Could she?

She heard the metal-clanking steps descend the white-stone stairs behind as she jerked around to face Owain in his apparently repaired armor and outfit she was familiar with. He was wearing that reverse-horned helmet as well, and she just noticed that his appearance was reminiscent of Mom's. At least, the black—the raven feathers. The waist-cape made of raven feathers was almost identical to Mom's in fact. His whole outfit was different but that stuck out to her.

The butler retreated into the mansion. Owain stopped a few feet from her. "So? Will this do?" He let his left hand rest over the hilt and guard of Lone Talon as he lazily leaned on his right foot.

She bobbed her head up toward the sky. "What's with the storm clouds?"

He tilted his head up. "Oh, that old thing? A little side effect." He looked back down to her.

"A side effect of what?"

"I wonder…"

She rolled her eyes. _Figured_. "Well." She walked over to what she felt was the center of the garden and turned back to face him. "Let's do this!" She got into a fighting stance as she extended out Ember Alto Celica. The wind picked up even more as cherry blossom petals fell down to the ground like snow.

He strode toward her through the rain of petals and stopped a few feet away. He withdrew Lone Talon and let it hang off to his right side. He left himself completely open. His stance was nothing but holes. It was like he didn't care. No. That wasn't right. Rather, it was like he thought no one could touch him.

She furrowed her brow. Well, that was about to change! She charged with a speed she didn't realize she had as he brought down his sword in one swift motion. His sword and her fist collided in a violence that tore through the gardens in that one single instant as the ground quaked from the force.

He let out a low cackle. "You are so close. Ever so close." He pushed against her fist _hard_ as her arm started to buckle.

She stood firm and pushed back. A shockwave exploded out of them, then another, then another as they compared their strengths against each other. _How am I supposed to harness this power?_ She pushed harder against his blade as he returned in kind. _How am I supposed to trigger this thing without taking such a huge risk?_ He leaned in and it felt as if a tidal wave was barreling down on her, all focused on his blade. Her arm began to buckle again as she tried to stand firm. _Crap!_ She brought back her fist just a bit, at an angle, and let Owain's own force steer the blade away from her as she swung at him with her left, though in a blur he parried her left with his blade, and front kicked her back as she took the blow on her right arm with a skid backward. She got back into a fighting stance.

A lightning bolt struck as the thunder crackled into a powerful vibration all around her. He stood his ground. He brought his sword up close to his chest and swung it out. A violent wave rippled toward her. She ducked closer to him, as he swung again. She ducked closer under the next wave, sidestepped another, swerved passed yet another—all while she closed the distance—slowly, cautiously. He took a step back and with a wide swing with the blade brought back behind his left side, he swung at her—just over a foot away—as the wave crashed into her. She felt its violence ripple throughout her aura, causing it to flicker and almost fade. Her hair blazed with fire, and through the dust of the swing, crashed her fist into him as he skidded backward several feet—cracks forming in his chestplate—as he gained his bearings.

 _Looks like my normal semblance still worked. Now to trigger that form Jaune saw. Somehow._ She got back into a fighting stance and watched Owain like a hawk. He didn't say anything. This was clearly casual to him, yet he didn't try to make small talk with her like last time. She charged him again—ducking a blur of a swing—raised an uppercut—one he reeled away from as he swung his blade inward. She blocked the blow and gut punched him as hard as she could. He skidded backward again with a grunt.

He let out another low laugh. "Seems this is a disrespect to you. You wish to truly test your strength, don't you? It's been enough time between Vacuo and now, and though you have yet to fully recover, I can _feel_ the power emanate from your very soul! You and I are such kindred spirits!"

"Shut up and fight!" No more talking, no more playing around. She tightened her stance, focused her vision, and relaxed her muscles—preparing for anything.

"So be it." He took out a dust cartridge of fire and lightning and slammed it into the bottom of Lone Talon's hilt. He let his sword arm fall to his side as he pulled the trigger. The blade became enflamed with a small whirlwind of fire as it coalesced closer together. The blade turned into plasma. He brought his sword up into an inside right stance and tore through the distance between them in an air-igniting swing.

She reeled under the swing as she was kicked in the gut backward. She flipped and regained her foot only to sidestep a downward stroke as she brought her left fist parallel to the blade toward his face. He avoided it as they both broke into a storm of lightning quick blows. She dodged each blow though he took each one. The parts of his armor shattering, revealing black garb underneath. They traded blows again and she let herself take a hit, returning it back twofold with her semblance as he flew backward though recovered in a skid.

His hair became aflame. "Let me show you how it's done!" He raised his sword for a downward diagonal stroke as her instincts demanded she dodge to the side as a violent fiery wave cavitated the ground. The sheer force from the swing brought up a storm of dirt and debris as she shielded her eyes. As the dust settled, she looked behind her—mouth half agape—as a scar remained in the ground, like a wound on Remnant itself.

 _He used our semblance like that before at Haven. He could launch it as a ranged attack._ She turned to face him. She steadied herself, calmed her instincts, and returned to a fighting stance. _Good to know…_ She charged again as they collided in a storm of sword and fist. The ground quaked, the shockwaves were tearing at the mansion itself, as they exchanged positions, knocked each other into the air, brought each other down, activated their semblances, created craters, and deadlocked each other; gauntlet against blade—every crash carried with it a violence that both exhilarated and terrified her. The metal of her gauntlets were beginning to wear away. It was surprising to her that they were able to withstand so much, especially now against a plasma-coated blade.

She felt a thrill inside of her. All her worries faded. She smiled as they returned to their clash. Her adrenaline was pumping, she felt euphoric. She felt in sync with herself. Like she was in the zone. Every step she took, every charge, every thrown fist—they all felt perfect—though he rivaled each one; his swings, blocks, parries, and dodges became more refined, more flawless with each exchange. _Owain…_ The background disappeared. She could only see him now. Him and Lone Talon. And those blackened eye sockets as they bled red with the glow of his eyes. _What are you feeling now?_

They broke into another clash and it felt as if time itself slowed. And she found herself smiling. He wasn't going for the kill. But he was. It was as if he believed she could deal with anything he dealt her. And she returned the favor. As she threw a punch to his face, he booted her away and swung his sword upward with his hair aflame as a scar in Remnant ravaged itself toward her. She took the hit as her veins burned hot. She clenched her fist and let out a growl. A pain that almost felt like pleasure took hold as her heart thumped as it sped up to a rate she would ordinarily worry about.

"Let it happen, Yang! Let the thrill of battle, the hunger take hold!" He brought his sword in for another swing and released another wave—this one ordinary—as she charged right through it, batting him away with a kick that sent him crashing with a loud grunt, through the ground of the garden. She blazed above him with shots from her gauntlets and crashed down hard onto his gut, breaking a crater into the ground beneath them both. Red electricity raged around him as she leaped away from him. A violence emanated from him.

"I've…longed for this, Yang." He took a deep breath as he stood up. "To throw away all concerns! To cast aside the mundane! This, _this_ is what I live for! Sooner or later adventure loses all of its shine and what's left is the challenge of an honest fight. Or am I wrong?"

Surprisingly, she found herself clear of mind. In control. "Is that _all_ you fight for? For the thrill? Nothing else?"

He paused. "What else is there?"

"You and I differ there, buddy! I fight to protect those I care about! Don't get me wrong. I love a good fight! But I'm not as frivolous as you!"

He raised his head to the sky and took a long, deep breath. "You will be."

She furrowed her brow.

He looked to her again. "Tell me, my dear doppelganger. What would you do if everything you cared about was eradicated right before your very eyes? You, who's strength knows no bounds? You, who has overcome all challenges up till now? You, who's indomitability allows you such drive! When all is said and done and the Executioner brings his axe down upon the heads of those you love, what drug will keep your soul fueled and steady?"

 _The hell is he talking about?_ "That won't happen! No Executioner is going to do anything! I'll crush anything and everything that comes after me or my loved ones!"

"You won't be facing an Executioner. But rather against the Reaper."

 _What?_ "What are you talking about?"

"Actions have consequences, Yang."


	17. Yang's Arc Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Whew! Good sweet son of Odin, that was some terrible writer's block! Also had a bit of an issue with Word's Track Changes which caused a weird mix of deleted stuff with the current stuff, which made editing a nightmare, so hopefully I didn't miss anything egregious. Anyway! Sorry for the...two extra weeks it took? Enjoy!

* * *

 **Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 15 – To Face One's Self**

* * *

Raven felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. She was afraid no one believed her, that no one _would_ believe her. Even Tai, though that was ridiculous; why _wouldn't_ he believe her? He was there, he knew more than anybody that she didn't have twins. And now they had confirmation that it wasn't just Yang and Owain. Though that barely lessened the weirdness of it all. The thought of his face—and his style of fashion and combat—still irked her. In a way, it irked her even more. There was a part of her that wished he was her son, just so that his creepiness at least had some context.

She looked over to Blake and Nero who were conversing with Ghira; they were talking about things she already knew. Ghira wanted to reconfirm everything he's been made aware of so far, though Nero refused to give clear answers. She gazed at Nero. He had put his mask back on, which was odd considering what they knew. Owain was the same. He kept his helmet on while in public. There was a part of her that was still wondering how they could look so much alike. Oscar never stated Freya was identical to Yang. In fact, chances were they looked nothing alike, save maybe for their hair and eye color, otherwise he or Ozpin would have recognized Yang when they first met. The fact that he had never even suspected she might have been the Berserker was all the confirmation she needed to know that this strange occurrence of doppelgangers wasn't because of their power. On top of that was Owain's interest in her. He wasn't her son, nor did she ever meet the man—of that she was absolutely certain. So what was it then? A secret admirer? Her earlier consideration of his behavior made that even more likely. He could have simply been a nobody who looked up to her and her tribe, maybe got some plastic surgery, and just so happened to have the same…semblance as Yang? No. Giving it thought now, that was even more ridiculous.

Remembering the Branwen Tribe reminded her of Azure Branwen and her having taken up leadership of the tribe. She remembered her as being a fierce, level-headed fighter within the tribe. The tribe took a pretty hard hit from the New Dawn, and she hadn't heard any word from them which meant they probably decided to cut their losses, which was a smart move. Especially with what they've learned so far. She was back with her family now, though she still felt a loyalty to the tribe.

"Hey."

She looked over to Tai who sat slouched by the wall behind her on a bench right beside a bookshelf. She looked back to Blake, Nero, and Ghira. "It's nothing. Just being cautious is all."

He laughed a little. "Yeah, can't blame you there. Still."

"What about you?" She was curious as to how he was dealing with this. After their team split, he was usually left out of the loop. As everything went down, he was at home safe and sound, which she envied. He was away from it all back then and it was strange to think how her efforts to avoid Salem could have been accomplished by simply sticking around. Well, that was just another thing to regret then, wasn't it?

"Can't say that I'm not worried. The whole Berserk thing was worrying, but I'm confident Yang won't have any trouble with that. Oddly enough Ruby is dealing with something similar and that I'm a little more worried about. What Morgan did…she proved she could do some damage to us."

 _Indeed._ And now according to Ruby, Morgan was missing. It was useless to come up with theories she couldn't possibly verify though she did feel a responsibility to Ruby now. She was an adult and she could handle herself, but still. It couldn't hurt. The only problem was were to even begin. Though right now she was waiting on her daughter. Her nerves were a little high as she wanted to see how she was herself. They had been waiting around for long enough that Percival had time to go back to Weiss' hotel to pick up the case holding her weapon. Guess she figured there wouldn't be a battle right away. Or more likely that they'd have time to plan something together. She leaned back against the wall near Tai as she crossed her arms and started shaking her leg.

Oscar then decided to walk up to Ghira and cut in on the conversation. They spoke about the other relics, and he even tried to convince Nero to teach Blake how to harness her powers, though he refused, saying it was unnecessary. They then talked a little about Jinn. A few more minutes passed as she shook her leg more vigorously.

The doors to the office opened. Jaune, Cinder, and Adam walked through. _Finally_ , she thought. Adam immediately went on guard at the sight of Nero. She noticed Yang wasn't with them.

"Adam, relax. He's here as an ally. For now at least," Blake said.

Adam eased his grip on his sword.

She stepped forward. "Where's Yang?" Hopefully the fight with the dragon didn't wear her down too much. Knowing her, she was probably knocked out in one of the dorms.

Jaune scratched his head. "About that…"

She furrowed her brow.

Cinder rolled her eyes. "Yang went to go confront Owain by herself. You might want to send a few people to back her up, though not sure what'll happen. I couldn't tell you if she was planning to fight the guy or just chew him out."

"What?" What was she thinking? Her body urged her to charge down to the mansion. If only she had her—"Nero! Undo the seal you put on me and give me back my semblance!"

Nero turned to her. "No."

She growled. "Yang is probably fighting Owain and we need her! I need to get to her before something bad happens!"

"You'd think Yang's very own mother would have a little faith in her. It's a shame that isn't the case."

She clenched her fist, trying to fight off the urge to attack him.

Blake turned to him. "Can she beat him right now? Is she strong enough?"

"To be honest, she's probably stronger, physically anyway. She _does_ fight with her fists."

"You know what she meant!" Raven snapped.

"It doesn't matter. It's unlikely she'll beat him. It's less about their power levels and more their levels of experience. Owain "awakened" sooner than she did; a testament to his…rough past and the violence surrounding it. Regardless, he won't kill her."

He couldn't be trusted. As much as she wanted to believe him, she just couldn't. She rushed out the door of the office.

"Raven, wait!"

She stopped at the sound of Tai's voice. "You coming along?" She shot him a smirk.

"Damn right!" Tai rushed alongside her; Ruby tagged along as well.

"Since this is what we're here for, we might as well support our teammate!" Weiss said. "Percy? Wiste Rosa if you please."

Raven stopped in place and turned around. Best to wait for them. As much as she wanted to rush ahead, it was better to go together; there was strength in numbers, especially considering who they were up against.

"Understood." Percival took the long briefcase he brought from the hotel room and opened it. Looked a lot like her old weapon though it was longer and had a thicker blade, like it could be used for both thrusting and cutting. The hilt was longer and different as well, as it had a hand guard.

"I'll stay behind. I'm going to wait for Qrow. I'm curious about Lower Mistral as well," Oscar said.

"Are you sure?" Tai asked. "Don't you have some…stake in this?"

"You mean my—Ozma's mother?" He sighed. "I'll admit. I do want to be there, to see how this all works out, but…well, I'll leave it to you. I'm worried about what Qrow might find out, and he might need some help over there."

"Got it," Tai said.

"Just…be careful. I warned the others when I first realized what Owain was, so I'll remind you. The Berserker is _powerful_. Freya was practically the embodiment of strength—as well as destruction. And hopefully Yang has learned to harness her true potential. You're going to need it."

"While you guys are at the mansion, I'm…going to get some rest," Jaune said as he scratched his head. "Little exhausted after that whole ordeal."

"Speaking of which." Blake turned to Adam. "If it's not too much trouble, could you head back to the base? I want you to reinforce Ilia's efforts. I have her working on something and she could use your aid."

"Understood," Adam walked off.

Raven watched Nero during that brief exchange. The man was reserved, she'll give him that; he had absolutely no tells. Well, she wasn't one to talk; it was one of the reasons why _she_ hid her face. She turned to Cinder. "And what about you?"

"I'm going to take a short rest myself. Then go…mess with my powers a little. I want to figure out this blessing. Keep me informed. Especially where Anastasia is concerned."

"We can do that," Blake said.

As Weiss finished checking her weapon, her, Percival, and Blake followed the three of them. They bolted out of the headmaster's mansion, rushed over to one of the airships landed at Haven and with a quick word from Blake, they had the pilot take them over to the governor's mansion. _With Yang, it'll be seven of us against Owain and whoever else decides to aid him,_ Raven thought. This might be it. If Yang was serious about fighting him, this might very well be the battle that decides this whole mess.

As the airship took flight, she noticed the storm swirling over the governor's mansion in the distance. The lightning picked up and was purely flashing now. As they got closer and closer, she felt a steady drop in temperature—the kind that always accompanied a very bad storm. It only made her more nervous. She could see leaves from trees blowing through the air; the wind had started to pick up as well. She looked down and took a quick gander at some of the rooftops as the shingles lifted here and there. This was in Upper Mistral, yet the wind was already getting bad. _Something bad is going to happen soon._ Her nerves got worse. She was afraid that something bad had already happened to Yang. What if he didn't need her anymore and he killed her? She pushed the thought out of her mind.

As they got within clear sight of the mansion, she heard thundering sounds crashing through and vibrating the airship, even from where they were. She held on to the rail above and looked down at the mansion. Behind it, in what seemed like a garden, was a devastated battlefield with two deep scars in the land. She squinted her eyes and noticed Yang standing in front of Owain—a crater a few feet behind him. The pressure in her chest dissipated as she let out a tremored sigh.

"Looks like they _were_ fighting. That's one hell of a crack in the earth," Tai said. "Should probably land in the front. Wouldn't want to put the pilot at risk, or ourselves for that matter.

"Understood," the Pilot said. The airship landed in front of the mansion as they all jumped out and rushed down the white stone ground to the mansion, ran up the steps, and bashed through the doors. Tai and Percival wasted no time in knocking out the guards posted at the doors as she rushed ahead of them. For a split second she recalled the dust-tuned on the rooftops, though that worry faded as they didn't appear and attack.

As they all entered the mansion, they were stopped by Alexis and a man she recognized. Shan Huang.

"Now, now, what's this?" Shan said. "An attack on the mansion?" The tall, burly man was completely unarmed.

"Step aside!" Raven yelled.

"Here for your daughter and the governor?" Alexis said.

"A faunus? Is that? It _is_!" Shan let out a bellow of a laugh. "The freakin High Leader of the White Fang herself!"

Blake furrowed her brow. "Shan Huang, I assume?"

He sneered. "That's my name! And it's the last name you'll ever hear."

"You do know who this is, yes? One of the legendary huntresses?" Alexis said. "And I'd rather we not incite a diplomatic incident."

"Oh, I'm aware! But Albus gave us a few gifts remember! And also, I don't give a damn."

"Looks like you're as bloodthirsty as I've heard," Blake said.

"Albus!" Weiss cut in. "Is he here?"

Alexis turned to look at her. "Couldn't say. I haven't met the man. I've only been in contact with him via scroll. For all I know he could be one of my staff. Or the butler, who knows."

This was all a waste of time. For all she knew they were trying to stall! "Enough talk and let us through!"

Shan's sneer widened. "By all means, Raven!" He stepped aside. "Everyone may pass save for the president of the Schnee Dust Company and the High Leader of the White Fang!"

Ruby stepped in front of them. "No." She turned her head to them. "Go! I'll take them!"

Raven nodded and flew right by them. She heard a struggle behind her, a few grunts from Shan and a curse from Alexis. She figured the others forced their way through; Ruby could handle Shan and Alexis. "Hold on Yang…" She charged around the corner, took a left turn, and gazed through the windows along the wall. Many of them were shattered from the fighting; hell, much of the mansion in the area was in tatters with parts of it caved in. She leaped through an opening and landed in the garden. The battlefield was more torn up than she realized. She looked across the battlefield as both Yang and Owain turned their heads to acknowledge her.

"Mom?"

Owain let out a low laugh. "You seem awfully anxious."

Tai rushed up beside her. "Seems you're alright. We were worried after that whole dragon business. You sure this is a good idea? You know your power probably has its limits."

"She'll be fin—"

"I wasn't talking to you!" Tai interrupted.

"Dad, I'm fine. Besides. I need this. I've been wanting to test myself against him for a while now but all I could do was worry." She turned to him. "Now talk. What did you mean by all that?"

She stepped forward. "Yang!" Yang turned her head back to face her. Her face was stern, yet oddly calm. "Are you sure about this? We can help you! We may not be as powerful, but we can help make up the difference."

"True, but…" She smiled. "Jump in when it looks like I'm about to lose. How 'bout that?"

She forced a smirk. "Heh. Show off. Fine."

Just then, both Weiss and Blake showed up, Percival arrived shortly afterward. She turned to them. "Looks like we're on the sidelines for now."

"Where's your sister?" Owain asked. "She didn't come along?"

"She's fighting off your thug, Shan," Blake said.

"Ah!" He turned back to Yang.

"Owain, answer me. What did you mean by "consequences"?"

Owain paused. He tilted his head to the side. "Did you know the world, the universe, all things, flow with magic?"

What was this about? She caught what Yang asked him, and she realized they had been talking about something. Well, hopefully she would learn something. Up till now, both he and Nero refused to reveal anything useful. Not sure what would be different now, but—

"You mean aura," Yang said.

"Aura is magic, inherently. Whether the gods are around or not certainly has an effect, but that fact remains."

"So? How's that important? You're dodging the question!"

"Humans and faunus are inherently made of both light and dark. No matter how much light there is in the world, their hearts will always be partly blackened with darkness. You see…when you save the world, you open up opportunities for this darkness to take hold. For all those mice and roaches to come crawling out of their holes to fill in the spaces, the vacuum left behind by the great, and terrible darkness. Thus, a new darkness is born—a lesser one to be sure, but one that cannot be vanquished…not with light."

The hell was he talking about?

"So what? You plan to do something about it?"

"Indeed. Do you know why Law exists, Yang? Why the original King taught humanity how to use it for the betterment of society? It's because _people_ are doomed, Yang. The Law is not meant for saints, nor is it meant for monsters. A saint is "above" the Law simply because they will never break laws worth keeping and they will always break laws worth breaking. Likewise, the monsters will break the Law regardless. The Law exists as a threat—a guillotine hanged over the head of the weak. "Follow it or obey the consequences!" This is how society functions! It is utterly impossible for the weak to become strong, thus it takes a strong arm to keep society whole! You see, it was never about literal strength or ability or intelligence, but _will_ and _wisdom_ , and these things are unattainable. This is what we call destiny."

"What are you getting at? Are you telling me you want to be a dictator? So what Alexis said about you was a lie? Why not make yourself King then? Why play this stupid game then?"

Even from here, she could tell Yang's eyes were flared red.

There was a pause. Owain took a long pause, one that only made her more and more anxious.

"Answer me!" Yang snapped.

"When you and your team saved the world, did you ever once consider that that might have been the worst thing you could possibly do?" There was a solemnness to his voice.

Blake stepped forward. "We did what we had to! You don't know what we faced! You weren't there! I think I know where you're getting at, but we couldn't think that way, nor will we! People will always have darkness in them, that I understand, we all do! But that doesn't mean we need to give in to it!"

Owain faced her. "Oh, believe me, I understand where you're coming from—I do, I _really_ do. However such is the naivety of a hero. The mentality that allows a hero to _be_ a hero in the first place blinds them to the reality!" He turned back to Yang. "To _save_ the world means to preserve the status quo! That is the only thing we could ever achieve, wasn't it?" Owain snapped. His voice was angry. "To save mindless wretches, and fools who do nothing but make things worse with every decision they make. One can never truly make a difference without becoming the villain! Preservation is the enemy of growth; the enemy of our ability to overcome that very darkness that stains our souls!"

"Owain…I know what you want to do…You know I can't let you do that." Yang's arms trembled with anger. "I won't let you get away with becoming more of a monster than you already are!"

"I know you won't. However, you can't stop me. Not yet. There will be war, Yang. A restructuring of the world, of peoples' place in it. You saved the world but failed to usher it in into a new age! I will finish the job for you and your team. And mark my words, Yang. Should we fail, it'll have to be the four of you who take up our mantle. That is _not_ a choice for you to make, but an utterly unavoidable destiny thrust upon you the moment you and your comrades insisted death and failure was not an option!"

The stakes just got a whole lot higher…She gazed at Yang's trembling. She knew she was feeling the pressure to stop him—here and now—and she knew they had to. She turned over to the others. They all nodded. Looks like they would have to go against Yang's wishes. She walked forward. She drew her sword. Weiss readied herself, as did Blake, and Percival. Tai clenched his fists and relaxed them, taking deep breaths.

"All of you together against me?" He turned to Yang. "Is this alright with you?"

"I don't care about testing myself against you anymore. If you won't stand down, then you _know_ I don't have a choice!"

The plasma around his blade faded as he replaced the dust cartridges. "Well said. It's good that you understand that."

* * *

Ruby pulled out Full Rose as it transformed into the Grimm Reaper. She wasn't sure if Alexis was a fighter, but she got the feeling he wasn't. Shan on the other hand…

Alexis turned around and walked away with his arms clasped behind his back. "I'll leave you two to it."

Shan frowned. "Alexis!"

He stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"You were curious about the _mage,_ weren't you?"

 _Mage? Like a magic user?_ She readied herself, stepping into a fighting stance.

"How did you know that?"

"Albus and Owain know more than you give them credit for. Owain in particular." He shot him a glare. "You think he's a brute! An idiot without a shred of decency, don't you?" Shan turned back to her. "Tactics? Strategy? Thinking things through? Being smart about how one fights? That's our thing! Mortal stuff. The things we do to try and overcome enemies who are our equal or who are stronger than ourselves!" He sneered again. "All that nonsense is beneath him. He doesn't act intelligently simply because he has no need! Certainly not in matters of combat! And well! That's everything isn't it?" He stepped forward. "Isn't that right, miss "legendary _hunt_ ress"?" His sneer widened.

She shot him a look. "I don't need to justify my actions to a man like you!"

He let out a low cackle. "That's right. Make excuses." He took off his coat. Revealing his bare torso. There were engorged veins pulsing throughout his torso and his arms. And they had a glow. A blue glow. He violently jerked forward into a hunched position as if about to retch something up. He growled viciously, his face twisted with pain and rage as the veins pulsed. Waves of force pulsated from his feet. His aura—a gray aura—became visible as it crackled with blue electricity. He let out a powerful, blood curdling roar as he slowly regained his composure. He breathed out slowly as if coming down from a high. He shot her a look and a smirk as his body was surrounded by currents of blue electricity and a visible gray aura. "Come Ruby Rose! Let's see what you got!"

She was slammed through the wall by her head as he threw her across the ground. She skidded back into her fighting stance and ducked from an enlarged bolt of lightning that reformed back into Shan. She flew to him with her semblance and spun like a sawblade as he knocked her scythe aside with his hands and gutchecked her back into the mansion. She spun and landed on her feet as the lightning bolt that was Shan was already about to strike her again. She ducked with her semblance and clashed with him. Her rose petals against his lightning. He was faster, though she had control. She swirled about like a fly dodging a fly swatter as he kept crashing into walls, the ceiling, the ground—unable to land a hit except when they clashed.

The fight was already ridiculous. He wasn't normal, that much was obvious. As they continued clashing, she tried to take advantage of his lack of control, and managed a few hits, though he shrugged them off. Something became obvious to her however, as they clashed again and again into a storm of lightning and rose petals, she noticed that his actions weren't draining his aura. He was using magic.

As they clashed again, scythe head against arm, he leaned in and gave off that annoying sneer again. "I've met him you know."

Her eyes widened. It clicked instantly. Who he was talking about. "Where? How do you know about that?"

"I even saw his face and man oh man!" He chuckled. He slowly pushed her back.

" _Where?_ " Why was she struggling so much? She had more power than this! He shouldn't even be faster than her for that matter!

"How much do you know about speed, "legendary huntress"?"

His voice was getting obnoxious. "What are you talking about?"

He leaned in even more. "Speed is everything, you know." He overcame her and gutchecked her again as he bolted to her and kneed her in the back as he swerved over her and punched her down into the ground. Debris and dust permeated the area as she coughed up dirt.

Something was wrong. It was like she couldn't push. Like she couldn't fight back. Her aura was getting pretty low too. She got up and stared the man down. He was frowning. Yet she was getting more and more angry, the more he talked. It didn't make sense. It was like the anger carried no weight. Like it wasn't real.

"So much for being a fighter. Did you really defeat Salem?" He scoffed. "No, you don't have the guts. Killing grimm isn't the same as killing a person. And I doubt you could do that, especially where she was involved!" He sneered again. "How about me? Can you muster up the strength, the _will_ to put me down?"

She got even more angry, angry enough to start trembling. Something was definitely wrong. Scum like him never got to her like this before.

Just then, Anastasia appeared in the corner of her eye, up on the second floor. She leaned over the railing. "Shan! There's an army of protesters marching on Upper Mistral!"

"Is that so?" He smiled. "It's time then! Anastasia, tell the boss to give me permission to enact Martial Law!"

"On it!" Anastasia stormed off.

"What? You're joking!" She tried to muster up her strength yet felt like she was being pulled down by something, like she was heavier than normal. _Much_ heavier.

"What are you going to do about it?" This thug was looking down on her now.

* * *

Jaune sat down on the bed in the dorm he was allowed to stay in. He still had a hotel room, though what with what was going on, he felt he should probably check out of it. He looked at his arm as it trembled. He felt weak. Literally. He never pushed himself that hard before and for a moment he thought he was going to die. But it was worth it. Yang was alive, they killed the dragon, and they were closer to ending this mess. He lost his shield though. He wasn't even sure he would have the time to get another one. He looked up to his greatsword. Guess he would have to stick with that for now. He had gotten used to using a larger sword in conjunction with a larger shield, and it worked for him. He still had his old experiences with the merged version though now he couldn't use that anymore.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in."

Ren walked in. "How you feelin? Heard what happened." Ren walked over to the chair by the desk and sat down.

"Oh I'm doing alright. Still a bit weak. I pretty much ran out of aura and I managed to force out more. That sort of stuff gets people killed, but I had to. I'm apparently suffering the consequences."

He leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

"It's hard to walk. Like, every step is more exhausting than normal. It feels like…I'm weaker. Like I'm paying an aura debt or something."

"You might want to get checked out by a doctor. You're not the first to do something like that. They've probably dealt with huntsman and huntresses before and might be able to help."

"True, though not sure if I have the time for that. Unless it's some sort of drug, I'll have to stick this out."

"Well, don't push yourself too hard."

"I won't. By the way, where's Nora?"

"Out getting some supplies. We're back in Mistral again and apparently for a while and she decided to help Kali and a few of the other huntsman here—along with a few of the professors—help in the rebuilding."

"This place is gonna turn into a warzone again soon, isn't it?"

"Hopefully not." Ren sighed. "Wonder what's going on over there."

"The mansion?"

Ren nodded.

He hoped Yang was okay. She went straight for Owain with a mental state that wasn't exactly conducive to playing it smart, though he trusted her, and he had faith in her. Even if they did fight, he knew she wouldn't take it too far. Especially not after what happened. No matter what her new powers were, she wasn't invincible, and he knew she was probably still feeling a bit exhausted. As he thought about that, his anxiety spiked.

"By the way, Jaune."

"Hmm?"

"Cinder."

"What about her?"

"Are you…okay with her? I know what happened back then was something you struggled with. And it was admirable what you did for her back at that fortress."

"She's…yeah. It's…odd. I don't know. But fighting that dragon over in Vacuo made me realize that she really isn't our enemy anymore. And…I guess I'm just…okay with it." He moved on. He felt at peace knowing that sparing her was a good decision. They didn't always get the chance to spare their enemies and sometimes they had to kill, but it felt good for once knowing that the decision to take the high ground was the right one. Oddly enough, he found himself wondering what she was doing at the moment. She said she was going to mess with her powers, didn't she? Once he felt better, maybe he could help with that. He needed to get stronger as well and having a maiden to push him would probably push him further than fighting a regular mortal.

"Well." Ren stood up. "I'm going to help Nora and Kali out. Need anything? I might be able to get some food or something."

Jaune smiled. "Nah. I'm good. Just gonna rest. Thanks, Ren."

He smiled back. "No problem!" Ren left the dorm.

Jaune took off his boots and armor. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. Even laying down was exhausting. He yawned and tried his best to go to sleep.

* * *

Yang got back into a fighting stance as she strafed to the side, keeping her gaze on him as he kept his on her. Mom moved to his blind spot and was backed up by Dad. Blake took his left side, and Weiss took his right. He was completely surrounded. Percival was behind Mom and Dad and seemed to be concentrating; his semblance perhaps? The original plan was to do this with Ruby, but this would have to do. She felt a strange compulsion, a sadness. There was something about him she couldn't quite put her finger on that almost compelled her to want to redeem him, to only knock some sense into him. But he wasn't giving her a choice.

Owain straightened his head. "No doubts now, Yang. You will strike me down now or so help me, I will unleash my fury on what remains of this battlefield and on who is left standing."

She gritted her teeth and charged him. As he raised his sword and swung down, Weiss used a glyph to slow his swing as she punched him backward. Blake leaped in and out several times at a blinding speed—leaving behind several exploding clones—as Mom charged through the smoke and swung horizontally at his side with her powers flared—blade made of magical ice—as a crash thundered in her ears. Dad jabbed him in the spine with a hard left—hard enough to send out a shockwave.

She herself began pummeling him as each of his swings were slowed almost to a halt by Weiss' glyphs. Each blow making quick work of his armor as it broke apart, leaving behind the blackened garb underneath. Mom made a diagonal stroke which he dodged as he took another blow on his back from Dad. She charged in again and crushed the side of his helmet with a hard right. One of the eye sockets broke apart, revealing his red eyes, and an angry expression. She leaped backward as Blake charged in front.

Forcing through Weiss' glyph with an overpowering swing, Blake took the blow, only for it to phase her as she smirked and leaped back again, leaving behind another exploding clone. She heard a painful grunt from Owain as the smoke cleared. Mom and Dad went in for another couple of blows, though in that instant, a shockwave of energy forced them back, as the area sparked into red electricity. The ground cracked with a red energy, a red anger, as his hair became aflame. The ground quaked and broke apart.

From what she could tell, it was their semblance, and he just unleashed all of that damage he took straight into the ground. And from her past experiences she knew this was far from over. His aura was most likely rapidly regenerating if not already close to full. Though she knew better than anyone that there was a limit. She stood her ground, guarded, waiting for the chaos to settle. The burning in her veins was a warning, a sign that she was at risk of overusing her power. As she kept being brought to the brink, she could overcome that burning more and more, use more of her power, though there _had_ to be a limit!

The quaking settled, the debris fell back down, the red lightning dissipated. She tightened her fighting stance and knew everyone else was already ready. The form Jaune spoke of was still on her mind. She had to find a way to use that here; she had to assume Owain was going to as well if pushed enough, and she had to counter it before he could use it against them.

"Well done so far. That's twice. Keep going!" Owain brought his sword up and vanished. "But first." He appeared behind Weiss.

"Weiss!" Percival yelled.

"No more support!" Owain swung down hard as Percival took the blow.

"Percy!"

The guy was fast, that's for sure. His aura was still intact from the hit. He made another swing though both Weiss and Percival leaped away. Mom and Dad charged at him from opposite directions in a curve to pincer him. Mom shot a bolt of lightning at him as he tanked it, as Dad gutchecked him, cracked more of his helmet, and made his left leg buckle with a sweep of the leg, as Mom leaped over him—and with a loud roar—came down hard with a downward stroke.

He caught it in his freehand, and shattered the blade with his aura, as he kicked Mom backward in the gut. She flipped and gained her bearings. Weiss summoned the Queen Lancer as well as her Knight, both infused with dust—wind and fire respectively—while Percival lunged in to aid Mom and Dad.

The Queen Lancer flew into a whirlwind as the Knight leaped into it and unleashed a burst of flame with a spin of his sword as the flames grew larger and burned ferociously—empowered by the whirlwind now around Owain. He brought Lone Talon outward to his right and leaned in—as if about to charge—as he did just that, tearing straight through the whirlwind of flame—cleaving the Knight in two and in that same instant—sliced the Queen Lancer in half with a wave of plasma—as he spun to parry Dad's punch, catching Mom's repaired blade with his freehand, shattering it again.

His back was turned, and, in that instant, she lunged at him—her arm raised for a punch—as she crashed into his spine as hard as she could. He stumbled forward with a painful grunt from the impact, as he laughed right after. His aura flickered. Something was wrong. Was he…? "Owain!" She yelled. "You better not be holding back!"

He laughed again. "I thought you said you didn't care about testing yourself against me anymore. Could it be that you lied to me?" He turned around to face her. Everyone took a breather and readied themselves for him. "Why Yang, that makes me glad! To know that even though the stakes are high, you still share that…essence with me."

She furrowed her brow. Refusing to give an answer. How many more times did they have to break his aura? He said twice before. She assumed this would be the third. How many more?

"Nothing?" He sighed. "Very well, then." He brought his blade close to his chest, then pivoted around, knocking Blake back with a wave of plasma.

"Blake!" She yelled.

Owain sidestepped from Dad's charge and pivoted into a slash down his back as his aura flickered. He ducked from Mom's flame-empowered slash as she sped into a flurry of swings, as he dodged each one though tanked the final swing, as he booted her back again. Weiss summoned a few beowolves though he made quick work of them with a swift combo of swings. Yang charged the moment his blade was in an unfavorable position as she jabbed him in the back again, though he stood his ground. His hair lit aflame again as she leaped backward in instinct. He raised his leg and stomped it into the ground, shattering the ground beneath him, rippling out a violent energy as she heard Blake, Weiss, Mom, and Dad yell from the impact.

She herself tanked the force, growling in pain. _That's three!_ She lunged through the chaos, the debris, dirt, and red electricity as her own hair lit aflame. He sidestepped the punch and cut her down the back as her aura faded, though her power kicked in again as her hair remained aflame, though she felt a surge of power. She pivoted and swerved away from a swing of his sword as she slammed her fist into his gut. He grunted loudly as his aura flickered—his hair became aflame again as he pierced right through her stomach—aura and all. She barely felt the pain as she grabbed his sword by the blade and crashed her fist into the side of his head—her own hair still aflame.

He started to laugh. She let go of his blade. He went in for a rage-empowered swing as she took it and returned it twofold, though he absorbed the blow through his blade, slid backward, and lunged into a thrust. She sidestepped it and punched at his head, though he dodged; the force from her punch thundered through the air as he countered with his own swing as she dodged and noticed it thundering through the air as well. They clashed—blade against gauntlet, strength against strength—as their hair remained enflamed. She smiled. She was in the zone again, and she was feeling the thrill again.

They broke into another furious clash, a series of punches here, a combo of swings there—neither of them landing any hit. It was just the two of them, fighting silently with only the grunts from their attempted blows as no one interfered. Her mind was clear, her emotions were all gone save for the thrill. The rage in his eyes subsided as she sensed the same thing in him—a focus, a thrill. Time seemed to slow down again as she felt a seemingly endless well of energy build up inside of her, as if she could fight forever. She wasn't getting tired. Not remotely. And neither was he. Her movements became sharper, her attacks more precise, but so was his, and it seemed like this battle would last forever, though in that moment as they fought, she didn't seem to care one bit.

An overpowering swing—one that rippled through the air—came down at her. She parried the swing with her right and with a vicious roar, slammed her left fist into his chest. In that very instant, his hair erupted into a blinding yellow light. She reeled back as he stabbed his sword into the ground. The rest of the ground itself torn asunder—all the way to the mansion. An ungodly energy ripped it apart, erupted outward, and bombarded her. She heard everyone else scream as fear began to course throughout her body. The energy itself was overwhelming and felt eerily like the energy from the dragon. That, that only scared her even more.

She was fine, however. As the violent eruption faded, as the dust cleared, she stumbled around—feeling exhausted all of a sudden—as she noticed everyone else intact, though she couldn't tell if they were alive or not. She stumbled over to them quickly as she checked Mom's pulse, Dad's, Blake's, then Weiss', and Percival's as they were all alive, though they all had pretty nasty wounds on their bodies; they looked red. Like red veins; they didn't look quite like normal wounds which only made her worry even more. She looked over to the collapsed mansion. Owain was still in sight. Her power was gone however, and so was her anger. Besides, she doubted if she could still take him on right now. She failed to enter that state before he did, and he ended it before she could even counter it.

She started trembling as she looked back at her comrades. They may have still been alive, but they were badly injured, they weren't waking up, and she had no way to rescue them! Ruby! Where was Ruby? She realized she had forgotten about her sister. Blake mentioned she was fighting someone. Owain was probably headed in her direction. Yet…She looked down at the others again, gritted her teeth as her trembling worsened. What was she supposed to do? Think, Yang, think! Someone must be nearby to help them out! Jaune! She rushed over to the first scroll she could find and dialed his number. The scroll rang and rang, though he never answered. "Damn it!" She dropped to her knees. "Please be okay…"

* * *

Ruby pushed a fallen piece of a wall off of her. Her aura had run out. What in the world was that explosion? It tore through the floor of the mansion, and practically collapsed the whole thing! She scanned her environment for Shan who she heard coughing. As the dust cleared, her heart sank as she noticed a battered Owain stride through the collapsed walls of the mansion.

"Shan!"

Shan grunted and stood up. "Yes, sir?"

"Tell me. How fairs the populace?"

"Boss!" Anastasia ran up to him. "I meant to inform you of that earlier, but you were busy fighting and I didn't wish to disturb you."

"That's fine. So tell me then."

"They're marching on the upper city! A _lot_ of them!"

"I see. Shan, you have permission to enact Martial Law. Do as you see fit. I'll be relocating to our northern fortress. Anastasia, I want you to come with me. There's something I wish to show you. You may bring along Raye as well."

She saluted. "Yes sir!"

Owain looked at Ruby. He had no expression. He just stared.

"Where are the others?" She yelled. She hoped, she _hoped_ they were all okay. She felt a surge of rage wash over her as she thought about their lifeless bodies. She shook her head. She didn't want to think about that, yet she couldn't fight off the anger.

He ignored her and walked off.

She growled and ran toward where Owain walked through, hoping to find the others. There, she quickly stumbled upon Yang, kneeled over the body of Raven, with the others on the ground motionless. The entire area had been ripped apart by that explosion that it looked completely unrecognizable. She rushed up to her sister. "Yang!" Please no, please no! She tried to fight off her tears.

"They're…alright. For now. Though they're badly hurt."

She let out a deep sigh and collapsed onto the ground. "Owain declared Martial Law…"

Yang's head jerked to her. "What?" Her face scrunched up in anger. "He's really doing it then…"

"Yang…"

A sudden loud sound thundered in her ear as she felt a powerful gust of wind coming from up above. She looked up as a small fleet of New Dawn airships flew overhead. "Looks like it's started."

"Ugh." Percival grunted. He stood up.

"Hey, Percy. Are you alright?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah…think so. Hit me pretty hard." He looked down at Weiss. "Weiss!" He kneeled down and lifted her head up.

"She's alive. Though badly hurt," Yang said.

He looked at her. "I see." His face turned to concern. "This wound…looks bad. Here. Let me try something." He focused. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Little drops of snow formed in his hand as they glided away from it. There were five of them. The little drops of snow landed on each of her fallen comrades. "I…this is risky, but if I push some more aura out…"

Yang furrowed her brow. "Jaune did the same thing back at Vacuo…"

"Hopefully it makes a difference here. I won't be able to heal them, but the damage should stop from getting worse." He looked up to them. "We need to get out of here. It isn't safe."

She looked down to Weiss, Dad, and Raven. "Yeah but…how?"

Yang stood up. The shadows shifted. Then they swirled together to a single point. She got up as well. Nero took shape and walked toward them. He looked down to Blake.

"Nero! Get us out of here! Please," Yang said.

He paused.

"You promised to aid us in taking down the governor, right?" Percival said. "You can teleport. Take us back to Haven."

Nero looked to Percival. "Very well." The shadows shifted all around them. Consumed them. She felt like she was weightless, gliding through the air, through nothingness, at a speed she couldn't even perceive. Before she knew it, they were back in Haven's courtyard, right outside a temporary infirmary. "You should take them inside. The medics will do their part in healing your friends." Nero walked away.

"Thank you," Ruby said. This was bad. They were hit hard and now they had to deal with this whole Martial Law stuff. Oddly, her anger was still there. Pulsing, like a heartbeat. She hoped against hope, but… _Morgan?_ Her anger pulsed harder. She took that as a sign. _Morgan! Please! Are you there?_ The anger pulsed harder. For some reason she couldn't respond. Something _was_ wrong! _Morgan, hold on! I'll figure this out!_ The anger pulsed _hard_ this time. _I know, I know! Don't worry! I won't let you down._ She smiled. _You were there the whole time, weren't you?_ The anger weakened. Her smile widened. She looked up at the storm clouds. The winds picked up even more. It was howling more loudly now. At least _something_ good came of all this. She thought she had lost her. Though at the same time it added to her list of worries; _how_ was she going to help Morgan?

* * *

Qrow walked with the crowd of protesters, trying to stay in a part of the group that was less crowded than the rest. They were traveling to Upper Mistral. Surprisingly, it wasn't just the poor from Lower Mistral, but a lot of people from Middle Mistral. It didn't take much asking around to figure out what was going on: war fatigue. They were tired of war; war against the grimm, war against each other—they believed they were finally free from it all, and it's on their doorstep again.

As they got closer and closer to Upper Mistral, things got progressively worse. The New Dawn troops positioned around were bombarded with bottles, food, stones—anything the people could find, and the message was the same: "No more war"." The troops regularly insisted they stay back, break up, and refrain from violence, though the people didn't take too kindly to that. Many of them believed the conspiracy theories that the governor had something to do with the dragon that attacked Vacuo, given the fact that his declaration of war was common knowledge. Then there was the fact Owain got in power through a violent coup. These people were mad, and the complacency of the rich in Upper Mistral only fueled the tensions. Luckily, none of the troops opened fire. A few fights broke out between them and the protesters, but it never escalated beyond a few beatings and arrests.

"Wonder when I'd stumble into you guys," A familiar voice said.

Qrow turned to the side. Hazel walked up to him from the crowd. "Hazel?"

"Decided to come here ever since I heard there was a coup. Alexis was a familiar name to me from my time with Watts, and I knew it couldn't be good. Figured Oscar and the rest of you wouldn't let something like that slide." He began walking alongside him as they followed the protesters.

Qrow sighed. "Yeah…things have gotten bad. Though, I think complicated is more accurate."

"Care to share?"

"Well, a lot of details I'd rather not, not here at least. We're staying at Haven for the time being, and we can fill you in there, but in short, I can't really say what the governor's planning to do ever since that dragon showed up in Vacuo."

"I see. But do you think things would get worse?"

He furrowed his brow. Considering that meeting between Owain and the councils? "Yeah…it's gonna get worse. I can't say what _will_ happen specifically, but, well…let's just say the governor is not exactly a peaceful guy."

"A warmonger?"

"Seems like it. Not sure what were supposed to do here, but things don't look good."

Just then, a man's voice over a loudspeaker erupted over the noise of the crowd. "Everyone here is to turn around and head back to their homes immediately. We have been given orders by the governor to enact Martial Law! Anyone who does not turn back immediately will be treated as a hostile!"

What? "Hazel!" Hazel nodded as the both of them pushed through the crowd and forced themselves to the very front, where a large portion of troops were stationed with their guns loaded and aimed at the protesters. "Hey! Lower your weapons! These are your own people!" No, no they weren't. Damn it! They're New Dawn! It was too late. He spoke reflexively though he knew his words would fall on deaf ears.

"Regardless, our duty is to ensure the peace and stability of the nation of Mistral, and anyone who insists on sewing anarchy is to be considered a threat! Now turn back around and return to your home!"

He growled. He had his scythe with him, but he couldn't exactly fight, could he? He looked up as he heard a loud rumbling in the sky. There were New Dawn airships flying overhead. Big ones too. He gritted his teeth. Suddenly, the guy on the loudspeaker was hit with an apple.

He gripped his weapon though as he did, familiar looking troops showed up. "Dust-tuned." What were they doing here?"

"What?" Hazel said.

"As per the order of the General of the Mistral Military, any and all huntsman and huntresses not formerly given permission to act outside the bounds of Haven Academy will be treated as hostiles!" The man on the speaker said.

"Oh you've got to be kidding!" He looked to Hazel. "We need to run! We need to head to Haven."

"What about the people?"

"Not sure, but we can't stay here. Those armored folk are tough. We need to move!"

Just then, one of them attacked Hazel, though he tanked it as he slammed his fist into its face. The dust-tuned flipped back on its feet and formed a crystalline wall of ice behind and around them. "Interesting trick!"

"Yeah, let's just say they take what you do to a whole new level! Come on!"

Hazel nodded as he lunged through one of the ice walls with a loud roar as Qrow followed him.

* * *

Yang sat down on the edge of the bed of her temporary room. Things were bad now, weren't they? She was torn before. Was Owain a bad guy or not—was what she thought. Now, she knew for certain he was, and she practically had no choice but to take him down. Whatever their connection was was something she would just have to deal with.

She sighed. Just then, the shadows swirled together, and she knew exactly what that meant. She jolted to her feet. "What do _you_ want? I'm in no mood!"

"I come in peace. And I need to speak to you," Nero said.

"About what?" She stood at the ready. She wasn't going to trust this guy. He had something up his sleeve and he was using Blake's kindness against her. That much was certain. She didn't subscribe to the notion that just because someone could kill them easily that they didn't need to manipulate people. Owain proved that to her the hard way, and she wasn't about to forget that. Even though he aided them in getting out of the mansion, she wasn't going to trust him so easily.

"Things…have declined rather—how should I say—terribly? I didn't think he would end up like this. I knew it would be bad, but I didn't think he would get _this_ bad." he sighed.

"What's this about? _Now_ you're doubting your buddy?"

"Yang. I wish to show you something, though first I must ask that you swear to secrecy."

"And why would I do that? What do you want to show me that needs to be kept secret?"

"The truth. Who Owain really is."

Her eyes widened.

"And I must insist. I ask you to keep what will be shown to you an absolute secret. I don't expect you to take that request seriously now, but after the truth has been shown things will be quite clear, and hopefully then, you'll honor my request."

Jinn…"Fine. Show me! You're going to use Jinn, aren't you?"

"Yes. And with you present, she won't try and kill me. Are you ready?"

Her heart rate sped up. "Yes."

In that instant, the shadows swirled around them both. Then, the shadows vanished, and she appeared in front of the Vault of the Spring Maiden—Nero standing beside her. He stepped forward. He turned to her and simply looked at her. At least, she assumed that's what he was doing. "What?"

He turned to face the vault again. He walked up to the door, slowly, steadily. Unlike the Vault of the Summer Maiden, there was no reaction. Her heart rate started to pick up even more. As he reached the door, he touched it, and it opened. He walked in, grabbed the lamp, and walked out, setting in on the floor between the both of them. "Jinn," He said, sternly.

The blue smoke from the lamp spewed out slowly, taking the shape of the familiar genie. She took complete form and stared them down both, clearly upset. "Huntsman…Berserker…to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh come on! You can't be upset at me?" Yang said.

Jinn's eyes narrowed. "I know what you did. You can't blame me for being upset that you killed my brother for doing his job."

Her brow furrowed as she crossed her arms. "And you can't blame me for defending myself."

She sighed and shrugged. "True. Now, what is it that you want? You still have a fresh set of questions ever since that reset."

Nero turned to her. "Go on. Ask."

Her heart started to race. A lump was in her throat, her chest tightened, and she felt a pit in her stomach. "Owain…who is he really?" The familiar, jolting transition she had experienced before thrusted her straight into a white nothingness, as it quickly formed into a landscape. "In another place, another time, another world…" Jinn said. Trees, grass, dirt, and a large, well-built fortification took shape. "There was a revolutionary army."

Just then, a building took shape around her. "A revolutionary army that in another time was merely a group of typical bandits." Yang looked around and saw Mom take shape, though she was…different. Her hairstyle was different; it was in a wild ponytail. Her clothing was similar—if only slightly different—she was more armored. She was pacing back and forth. Vernal—who was wearing a full set of armor, stood a few feet away, sitting comfortably on a couch. The place didn't look anything like the place she was familiar with the last time she visited Mom's camp. Her heart raced even more. _Another world,_ Yang recalled Jinn's words. No. No, no, no. She was slowly starting to get it. It was falling into place like a scattered puzzle.

"You know. You don't have to worry so much," Vernal said. "They'll be alright."

Mom sighed as she stopped her pacing. "I know, but a mother worries. Maybe you'll understand one day."

She clenched her fist, _tightly_. Her arm started to shake.

Vernal rolled her eyes. A soldier busted through the doors to the building. "Boss! They're back! They made it!"

 _They?_ She had failed to recall Vernal mentioning more than one person just a moment earlier.

"A group of bandits turned into an army of heroes, thanks to the charisma and hopes of one small boy," Jinn said, as the background transitioned back to the fort. Mom was standing on the steps to the command center as two armored men walked forward. One of them was…She clenched her teeth. His hair color, his face, his expression…The instant she met the lilac-colored eyes of the man beside him, she felt like she had been hit by a storm and was drowning in the flood that was carried along with it. "Owain…"

"Where were you?" Mom shouted. "You're several hours late! I hope you didn't get sidetracked showing off!"

"Oh come on, Mother! We had quite the victory streak lately. Can you blame us for taking a little detour?" Owain had a smile that beamed confidence. His outfit was different, but still familiar to her, and so was his sword, though it was different. It was shorter and of a slightly different design.

"Ugh. Inside! Now!" Mom asserted as she stormed off inside the command center.

"Looks like you're in trouble," Ruby's doppelganger said as he poked Owain in the shoulder.

"You know it was _your_ idea." Owain walked toward the command center.

"What? No it wasn't!"

"Who said that we could make a pit stop at a nearby village to rest our feet and perhaps catch something good to eat?"

"That's _very_ different from going off to kill ourselves a few grimm in the way of our camp!" Ruby's doppelganger strode toward the command center as well.

Owain let out a light-hearted laugh. "Which is certainly more useful than what you had in mind!"

"Hey, it's not like we were going to stay there long. Just sit down for a few minutes while we waited for the food, then we would eat it on the way back!"

"True, but you know how Mother is. The world's a dangerous place, and we have a target on our heads. You especially, "silver eyes," Owain said, shooting Ruby's doppelganger a smirk with a turn of his head as he kept his stride focused on the command center.

"Again with that! You know, they're not as useful as everyone is making them out to be! Most of the grimm are easily killed with my ax alone."

"Which is more effortful than simply blasting them all away with a radiant light, no?"

"True…"

The background shifted back to a blank space again. "Two heroes that would become something more. They would rise up, join two others, and together, they would change the world!" Jinn said. As she spoke, two more images formed, though she never saw their faces. One of them she assumed was Nero, and the other one had the long white hair she came to associate with Weiss. He even carried a similar weapon. "Though there would be consequences." Jinn's voice was accusatory there. Directed at her, that, she was certain of. "And Owain…the boy who loved deeply. Who's protective instinct formed the backbone of his team. He would suffer the most for it. For the more a heart can love, the more it can be broken. Though the same could be said of the others, his nature drove him to do whatever it took to protect his brother, his family, his friends, and the world he lived in. This was both his gift and his curse."

Her mind went blank. The vision faded, and she was back on the path to the vault. Her heart felt like it wanted to jump out of her chest. Her breathing became erratic. Her left arm went numb as she became lightheaded.

"Calm down, Yang," Nero said.

Jinn vanished. As she did, she spoke one last time. "One question is all you'll get from me. For better or worse, next we meet, I won't be greeting either of you warmly."

Yang jerked in Nero's direction, gazing at his masked face. "You. _You_! You're—"

"Don't tell anyone. I want you to promise me that. Ask yourself from the bottom of your heart: "Why would _he_ ask me to keep such a thing, secret?" Know who I am, Yang, and use that as fuel. I implore you. Don't tell _anyone_. There is certain knowledge that must be kept secret, and it may not be obvious as to what would happen if it got out, but make no mistake, such knowledge does have its consequences."

She clenched her fist as tightly as she could as it trembled vigorously. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to calm her breath. It took a little bit, but she calmed down. Yang trusted Blake, _deeply_. She would never ask of her anything that was unreasonable, or that stepped over the line. But this? This was something she honestly just didn't know how to deal with at the moment. But…"Fine. I'll do it." She gazed at his face again. "I'll keep this all a secret. For now. I hope you know what sort of thing would cause me to feel the need to tell the truth. I'm trusting you."

"I know. And thank you. Regardless of what happens from here on out, for that, I thank you. Now. Shall we return?"

"Yeah, send me back." She wanted to drop onto the bed and go to sleep though she got the feeling she wouldn't be able to for quite a while. The shadows formed around them, and before she knew it, she was back in the dorm room. Nero was gone as well. Now she was alone. She started to shake. She wanted to cry. What in the hell was she supposed to do now? Kill herself? She couldn't do that! But she had to! He wouldn't stop! And he— _What drug will keep your soul fueled and steady?_ Owain's words ringed in her mind. She didn't know what happened to him, what happened to them. But…Both her fists started to shake as she clenched her teeth. Her eyes flared red. That, that _bastard_! He's given up! She turned and with a furious roar, slammed her fist right into the wall of the dorm, shattering it to pieces. The room crumbled around her.

What he was doing was inexcusable! There was nothing that he could be put through that should have made him this way _unless_ he just gave up! His red eyes, why he always kept them on was clear to her now. _What drug…_ Those words stayed in her mind. She focused on them. They rang in her head again and again and again.

"Yang!" Ruby's words expelled the chaos in her mind.

She jerked in her direction.

"Are you…alright? What happened at the mansion…it's alright! We'll find a way!"

Her arm returned to its trembling. "It's…" _Don't tell anyone…_ she let out a deep, tremored breath. Then another, and then one more. "It's not that. I just…I know what I have to do now. Now more than ever!" She looked her sister right in the eyes. It clearly unsettled her, though she felt compelled to. This was her fight. She'll do whatever it took to beat him to his senses. No matter the cost. She would rip that drug right from out of his soul if she had to! She also knew that _their_ battles were still to come. She didn't know what this other world was, or what happened to them, or what they're planning to do, but she got the feeling this whole thing was just getting started. _The Executioner…The Reaper…_ Owain's words still fresh on her mind. _Whatever happened to them, I won't let happen to us!_

"Yang?" Ruby asked.

"It's nothing." She walked passed her. "I'm going to go train…I have a lot of catching up to do."


	18. Yang's Arc Chapter 16

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 16 – Reflection**

* * *

Yang walked toward the infirmary. She didn't want to ignore Ruby, but she felt like she had to. For the moment at least. She had a lot to do, and little time for rest, however much her body needed it. As she walked, she stretched, opened and closed her fists, cracked her neck, stopped in place and jumped and down. Yeah. Her body was definitely worn out. Even that short bout of movement tired her out a bit. Her heart rate increased a bit and not because of exhaustion. Every moment that went by just meant Owain could get away with doing more harm. She—

Oscar and Ghira walked out of the Infirmary. Both of them were clearly upset at the whole situation, though Ghira's expression shifted between that and worry. She was worried herself, though she knew everyone would make it. Whatever Percival did seemed to work, though she was still wondering why they weren't making a complete recovery. They acknowledged her as she walked up to them. "Anything on their condition?"

"The head medic is currently indisposed looking at a sample of the wounded tissue to figure that out. Guess we simply have to wait this out," Ghira said. "And now we have to worry about the situation in Mistral." Ghira rubbed his forehead and let out a heavy sigh.

"How was it? The fight. Did you get close to beating him?" Oscar asked.

"I'm not sure. He took on that form before I could so I can't really say."

"Form?" Oscar said.

"Yeah. Did the original ever use it? Hair apparently becoming pure energy?"

He nodded. "Yeah, actually. She only ever did it for a final attack, something to finish off the fight." He laughed a bit. "Which, funny enough, reminds me of you and how you would use your semblance. It was like a trump card."

"Guess that meant that which ever one of us used it first was going to win." _That's good to know_.

Oscar raised an eyebrow. "Are you…sure it's that simple? We're not sure what else Owain could be hiding."

She _was_ certain. He wasn't hiding anything. The only thing that he could be hiding were creative uses for their semblance, but she'll get the hang of that. Unleashing her semblance with a forceful punch or kick at range? She could do that. She already used her semblance to shatter the ground beneath her several times, though he admittedly took more damage than she did the times she used it like that. The only thing that was left was to find out how to trigger that form. Her only worry was that it could only be triggered by taking a lot of damage. She was hoping her semblance would evolve beyond that; that she wouldn't have to get so close to death every time.

"Yang?"

Oscar snapped her back to the present. "Hmm? Oh right. Yeah. It _is_ that simple." She walked passed them. "I'm going to check up on the others myself for a bit then go and train. You should talk to Ruby. Maybe come up with a plan to deal with the whole Martial Law thing."

"I—are you sure?" Oscar said.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She had never been more sure of herself before. There were no unknowns here, not in the usual way. She finally knew why they both had the same semblance, why they looked so much alike, why he took on an outfit and fighting style like Mom's, she knew it all. There was nothing else to think about. Whatever else she could be concerned about could wait till after she defeated him.

She walked into the infirmary and sat beside the beds of Mom and Blake; they had been placed next to each other. Dad was placed next to Weiss who was to Mom's left. She turned around and tried to take a gander at everyone. They all seemed to be in a deep sleep. Even from where she sat, she could see their wounds; they still haven't healed. Oddly enough, Dad seemed to be in the best shape; his wound was the smallest. As she looked down at her mother she felt this nagging desire to shake her awake and tell her the truth, though she wasn't actually going to break her promise to Nero. Knowing who he was now made it easier to trust him, though there was a part of her that knew that was a terrible idea; if Owain was _that_ different from her, than Nero must have similar differences to Blake.

She desperately wanted to know what happened to him, what happened to _them_ , but she got the feeling she wasn't going to get a straight answer to that from any of them. The fact that Nero allowed her access to Jinn was probably the most she was gonna get, and to be honest, that was perfectly fine. Just like everything else, it'll have to wait.

Her affirmation didn't really stop the anxiety though. The goal was different now. She knew what she had to do, but…She clenched both her fists as she looked down at the red wound going up Mom's neck. _What if I can't save him? What if I have to kill him?_ As she watched Mom periodically toss and turn, clearly in pain, the mix of anger, anxiety, and sadness clashed against one another inside of her. She couldn't tell Mom who Owain really was, though she really wanted to. Though as she thought about it, as she dwelled on the thought of telling her, she realized that perhaps that might do more harm than good. Mom had come a long way; if she found out there was another version of her daughter that—based on what the vision implied—she personally raised only for him to turn out to be a monster, she might not take that so well. _Don't be stupid,_ she quickly thought. Mom wasn't that weak. Perhaps that meant she would feel the same way she did. Though not sure what obligation Mom would have to Owain. She might not even care. He _was_ her, but he wasn't. Technically, it was a different Mom than hers. That might have been enough.

Hell, she had no idea how Dad would take it, but she got the feeling it would be similar to Mom. She clenched her fists tighter. She couldn't tell them the truth, not yet, but they'll realize—if she didn't mention it herself—that she wasn't going to take Owain down. She had no doubt her team would trust her decision on that, that she had a good reason for it even if she couldn't reveal it. The only people she was worried about on that was everyone else. Owain was practically the enemy of the world! Even if she could save him, what would happen to him then? He'd be executed! Her anger burned. _How could he do this?_ The fact that they were the same person made it so much worse. She would never be pushed that far, yet here _he_ was demonstrating that to be false. Mom had a messed up past, that much was true, though she didn't want to believe that _that_ was what made them different. That had _she_ been raised by Mom, she'd be the monster. That had Mom never left her in the first place…

She turned around and looked at Dad, tossing and turning like Mom. The medic walked up to her. "What's wrong with them?"

"Well, they're aura is not healing them. I don't know what happened, but those red wounds should be decomposing their bodies, but…they're not."

Must have been what Percival did. She recalled him practically saying as much. Guess she wasn't wrong to assume that what she felt was in fact similar to the dragon. "Thank you." She stood up and walked out of the infirmary. _The power of that dragon must have been similar to our own._ Which made sense. Considering their heightened regeneration _and_ the fact they got stronger from taking damage probably meant using their own weapons against them was the best way to deal with them. She was still trying to understand her own power. Owain definitely had more experience with it.

It didn't matter much though. At least, worrying about it. She had to get to training. She had no idea what kind of training would help her out, but until everyone woke up, she was stuck here, with not much she could do to stop her other self. She walked over to Jaune's dorm room, wondering if he was alright. He never answered his scroll and she became a bit worried. On the way there, she ran into Ren. "Hey Ren! Is Jaune alright?"

"Yeah. Exhausted, but he seemed fine. I think he's sleeping in his dorm if you want to check up on him."

"Thanks, will do."

"How did your meeting with Owain go?"

"Yeah…Ended up turning into a big fight. Owain's enacted Martial Law and he wants to change the world or something, and not in a peaceful way. We had to stop him, but…"

Ren's expression turned to worry. "Is everyone alright?"

"They're alive, though can't say for certain until they wake up." She pointed back to the infirmary with her thumb. "They're asleep over there. Would imagine Ghira, Kali, and the others might head over there from time to time."

"What'll you be doing?"

"I'm going to train. Though I wanna check up on Jaune first." She walked passed him. "Catch ya later!" She waved goodbye.

"Likewise! Don't push yourself too hard, Yang. We're all worried but try and get some rest when you can."

She smiled. "Of course!" How in the hell was she supposed to do that? The walk over to Jaune's dorm was almost a slog. How long had she been awake? She tried to shake off the feeling. There was no time for sleep. She'd have to rely on her aura to keep her up. She slowed to a halt. _What are you thinking? You think you'll be able to take him on when you're barely able to move without getting tired out?_ She clenched her teeth. She continued her walk. Fine. She'll try to rest. Get in a long rest. She should probably get it out of the way before everything gets worse. But first, she needed to check up on Jaune.

As she reached his dorm, she knocked, but there was no answer. She got a little bit anxious and knocked harder.

"Y-yeah?" Jaune's words were weak with grogginess.

"It's me. Came to see how you were. Can I come in?"

"Yang? Sure."

She entered. How are you?" He looked wrecked. His eyes were droopy, his skin looked clammy, and he somehow had bags under his eyes. "Good lord, Jaune!"

He let out a weak chuckle. "Yeah. I feel like literal garbage. And I gotta say! I'll treat garbage better next time."

She laughed a bit and sat down by the desk. "Is it because you overused your aura?" As she recalled, he had put out a _lot_ of aura even after it had been completely depleted. She had never seen that before, though she knew it was a possibility. It was one of those no one was suicidal or stupid enough to try sort of things, but they were in a desperate situation. "Thanks for that by the way."

"It is, I think, and no problem. Killed ourselves a creation of the gods. I'd say that was worth it. Especially since it tried to kill you and us." He yawned. "Anyway. I think it's some sort of aura debt. Hopefully anyway. Haven't had time to check it out with a specialist. Not a whole lot of doctors who are experts on the medical side of aura."

"Yeah. Well, should check in anyway. Don't want to have you croaking it after all we been through."

He weakly laughed again. "Right. Figured I'd get in a good rest first. You should too. What happened over there, by the way?"

"Well, we got our asses kicked, and I have a lot of experience to make up for. The head of the Mistral Military is currently enforcing Martial Law and stuff, and then there was that whole thing with the Mistral council being murdered, experimenting on humans, killing another council member, misleading us to unleash Angra Mainyu which did nothing but kill a lot of bystanders and…" She felt tears well up.

"Yang?"

She felt like she hadn't cried in ages. Well, not a sad cry anyway. "He's gonna get worse, isn't he?"

Jaune's brow furrowed. "Yang…are you?...Are you worried about him? Why?"

"I…I don't know. Chalk it up to this connection between us. The fact that we're both the Berserker, and it kinda sucks seeing someone just like you be such a terrible person," She said with a strained laugh.

He chuckled a bit. "You know all the terrible things Cinder did, right? Now look at us. I gave her a chance, _we_ gave her a chance, because the circumstances allowed it. We weren't pushed into a situation where there truly was no choice. Not sure if it was a good thing, yet, but…well. If you decide to try and do the same thing with him, then I'll support you."

She smiled. As he spoke his face lit up. Like he was healthy again, though she couldn't be certain. He looked sickly again. She looked over to her left and noticed a bed in the far corner. "Hey. I uh, I kinda destroyed my dorm in a fit of rage. Mind if I sleep here?" She wiped away her tears.

"Sure, go ahead. We both need it. And when we wake up we try and find a way to end all this. I've been backing you up since that base and I'm not stopping now." He shot her a smirk.

Her smile widened. "Thanks." She felt a slight ease on the stress she felt all over her body. She stood up and walked over to the bed and crashed. "Hopefully you and I don't slip into a coma because I am _exhausted_!"

Jaune let out a long yawn. "That actually sounds amazing right now. Just to sleep for a long time, and…" He slipped into a snore.

She stared at the ceiling. First thing she was going to do when she woke up was explore her powers. She didn't know how yet, but she needed to before anything else. If she wanted to save him, she'd have to do it his way.

* * *

Blake opened her eyes. She woke up to a burn on her neck. Reflexively reaching for it, she rubbed it as she propped herself up.

"How are you feeling?" A familiar voice said.

She jerked her head over to her left to find Nero propped up against the wall, his cat's tail swaying left and right. "Nero?" She smiled. "You know. You don't have to wear the mask anymore."

"I prefer it on. Besides. Wouldn't be good for people to assume we're related. We are still technically enemies—despite our temporary alliance—aren't we?"

She frowned at that. "Do we have to be?" Getting close to someone who was dangerous wasn't a good idea, she knew that. But…

"You took a pretty dangerous hit. Made it out alright though. That's good."

Her heart sank a little. She felt the wound again. It felt odd. It was rough. Like sandpaper.

"It's a side effect of Owain's Berserk. Causes anything that lives through his attacks to slowly break down and die, though thanks to Weiss' bodyguard, that effect was stopped, though he could only stop it and nothing more. It's…frozen, if you'd like to think of it that way."

"That's…Can Yang do that?"

"Once she goes Berserk, yeah."

She sighed. _Well, at least she won't be at a disadvantage. Though that effect worries the hell out of me. Even if Yang wins, she might not survive…_ "The wound, will it go away?"

"Yes. It'll dissipate in time. Not a lot of time either. Until then, you won't be able to generate aura."

"You're joking!"

He propped himself off the wall, letting his arms drop to his side. "Give it a day or two. It should heal by then, and you'll be good as new." He walked to leave the infirmary, though stopped before he did. "In the meantime, get some rest. The final battle with Owain is very close."

She watched him leave and fell onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. _And then what?_ She still didn't know what Nero wanted. There was a light to him. She saw it there, back in his personal quarters. They both liked similar things. And it wasn't just a few things either. They surprisingly had a lot in common. Besides the big things. As she thought about it, it became more eerie to her. The same semblance, same face, both of them cat faunus, same interest in books, both interested in helping the faunus, their names both meant black; there was something else going on that she couldn't quite figure out but it couldn't have been a coincidence. And the whole embodiment business wasn't a satisfying answer. Either way, she wanted to believe he was a good person, that he wasn't up to anything terrible, but she had to be careful. She couldn't be naïve. She would give him a chance, despite his lies, but she still had to play it safe.

There was a part of her that deeply wanted them to be allies, to be friends. To join forces to finish up the work with the faunus. And then she'd finally get to retire. At least as High Leader. Yang wasn't gonna retire anytime soon, and after this whole business was done, she'd like to join her on her journeys. It was strange wishing that Nero could become a friend of hers. One she could see from time to time. She wondered if he thought the same thing. Underneath all the lies, secrets, and shadows. If he could just come out and be honest, would he want the same thing?

She turned her head as she noticed Weiss groan as she woke up. Percival walked in shortly after and went to check on her. As much as she wanted to check up on her teammate, she figured she'd give her and her bodyguard some time to talk.

* * *

Weiss looked over at Percy as he sat beside her on a chair. "Looks like you're alright."

"I am. How about you?"

"I feel terrible." She flinched as she felt her left shoulder, feeling like she was rubbing sandpaper.

"I used my semblance to prevent Owain's power from deconstructing your body. I did the same with the others. It'll hopefully heal by itself soon."

She sighed. "We lost. Didn't get much out of it either, save for the fact that this whole war business is about to escalate a whole lot more." She looked over to him. "You heard him!" She stared at the ceiling, recalling the man's words, the anger that laced every word, Yang's assertion to not let him get any worse. She wondered how much of that was due to their similarities. It reminded her of the fact that Albus was out there somewhere and might have been just as bad. That…bothered her. It was weird feeling that way about someone she never met nor knew anything about, but…

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. It'll take time for him to build up the forces required to do anything major. In the meantime, while we wait, we can take the time to build up our own forces in secret."

She wondered what Percy thought of that. "Hey Percy."

"Yes?"

"What do you think of Albus?" She turned to look at him.

He raised an eyebrow and she could have sworn he almost cracked a smile. "Well. Tell me what you know about him. From what I remember, he's one of these warriors, ones embodying aspects of humanity's creation or something, right?"

"That's right." She looked back up at the ceiling. "Except it's more than that. There's something…about them, I can tell. After seeing Nero's face, Blake's relationship with him, and now Yang and Owain…there's something there, something deeper. I can feel it. I know Yang does as well. And, well. I'm just wondering what he's doing right now and what's going on in his mind that makes him think that all of this is okay. It frustrates me and scares me that someone who might be a lot like me could be responsible for so much…darkness."

"Are you...two necessarily anything alike? Maybe there's a reason for his actions."

She turned to him. "Well, we're apparently similar enough to be mistaken for twins. That and if the pattern continues, we have the same semblance. I know mine is family related, but still…I guess I'm just assuming things based on what we know about Nero and Owain and how they relate to Blake and Yang. Maybe I'm just scared we'll be a lot alike."

"I see. If he does turn out to be like you I guess that just means you'll have to stop him then, won't you?" He smiled.

"That's funny. You've been naggy about me not getting involved. What changed?"

He chuckled a bit. "I guess I've been emboldened after what happened at the mansion. Hearing the governor's words. Yang's affirmation to stop him. Seeing you fight and support your teammate. I guess seeing all that awakened something in me. I was worried about your safety, but I've been approaching that the wrong way."

She smiled. "Well, glad you're with me. To be honest, you scared me back there. Seeing you take a blow meant for me was worrying. But you took that pretty well! I'm surprised! You're a lot more experienced than I thought!"

"Ha! You doubted me?" He smirked.

"Well, if I'm being perfectly honest, I wasn't…sure _what_ I was expecting. After everything I've seen, well, let's just say I wasn't expecting you to be this juggernaut of a bodyguard that not even a maiden could defeat."

He chuckled. "Well that makes me feel better. I guess I don't mind all that much if you were expecting me to be average."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh come now! You know full well I can defend myself. But my position as president requires me to make certain sacrifices. You've done nothing but impress so far."

He smiled again. "Well, glad I could do that, Weiss."

* * *

Raven woke up with a bad headache and an aching burn going down her chest all the way to her stomach. She groaned as she tried to sit up.

"Hurts like hell, doesn't it?" Tai said.

She gave him a look. "How are you up and about so easily?" The man didn't look the worse for wear. He even seemed well-rested!

He smirked. "Well you know me! I don't get taken down that easily!"

She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Still though. We got beaten pretty hard. It was sudden, but that power he exhibited? I'm surprised we made it out alive!"

"Yeah…" Did he even intend to kill them? Owain had a strange thing with her and it still irked the hell out of her, but his anger during his talk with Yang made her doubt the man was a softy. Then again, Tai was right. His power was overwhelming and they should have died. Yet here they all were. Blake was checking her scroll, Weiss was on her scroll talking to what she assumed was someone at the SDC, and Yang was who knows where.

"I've also been told that Owain gave Shan Huang the authority to enact Martial Law. Heard a few people talking about it." He looked up. "If you listen you can even hear the airships hovering over Haven. Came a little while ago. Shortly after I woke up."

 _I won't let you become more of a monster than you already are!_ She remembered her daughter's words. She seemed hellbent on stopping him, and the strength, the power she unleashed when fighting Owain one-on-one was nothing short of awe-inspiring! Yet, they all still lost. She hoped Yang wasn't taking it too hard. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, but they had to kill Owain before this whole thing got any worse. Trying to take over the world was not something she was going to tolerate. In the past, she wouldn't have given a damn, but the last thing she wanted now was to disappoint her family. She wouldn't fail them again.

"Worried about Yang?" Tai looked concerned himself. She wondered if he felt powerless. Their daughter was a juggernaut now, and far beyond the protection of either of them. If he _did_ feel powerless, then she definitely felt the same way but she wouldn't let that stop her.

"Yeah," She asserted. "Whatever she decides though, I'll—we'll back her up! There's no way she's giving up now."

Tai smiled and nodded. "Agreed." He stood up. "I'm going for a walk. Think you can muscle up some strength to come join me?"

She smiled. "Sure. I think I can manage that."

* * *

Qrow swerved into an alleyway. Not wanting to leave Hazel behind, he sprinted away from the barreling dust-tuned as Hazel and himself did the best they could to dodge while running. They made a sharp left through another alleyway, then a hard right, then another right, and then a left—jumping over left out garbage, sliding beneath pipes, all the while doing their best to break away from the dust-tuned. Not once did he look back. He relied on his instincts to guide his way back to Haven, and based on said instincts he was making a bit of progress. His biggest problem was that eventually there would be no more buildings or alleyways to use as cover, and they'll probably get spotted again. Bringing those things to an already damaged Haven was probably not a good idea. Not so much because his comrades couldn't handle themselves, but because he was worried this farce of a government might use their inevitable act of self-defense as an excuse to attack.

"Hey," Hazel said with a hushed, yet loud voice. "Over there. There's an overhang that should give us enough cover for now."

Looks like Hazel realized the same thing he did. "Got it." They both made a break for the overhang near a closed down building to the right of where they were. Once there, they ducked in the shadows, scanning their environment for any enemies.

"Call your sister. We could use her portals right about now," Hazel said.

"Yeah, that's not gonna work."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Look. A lot happened recently. Raven apparently got her semblance sealed by the head of the Black Claw. Heard of 'em?"

"The anti-White Fang group? How does their leader have the power to do something like that? His semblance? Or…"

"Yeah…probably magic. Oscar will explain everything when we get to Haven, though…"

Hazel stuck his head out of the shadows just enough to get a better look of their surroundings. "Those things are scanning the place. They don't know where we are, but they clearly suspect we're here."

He sighed. "Great. Guess we sit still for a bit." He sat down against the wall of the overhang, propping one leg up and placing his arm over it.

"While we wait, you could explain a bit. Like what those things are," Hazel said.

"Guess I can do that." He peered from out of the shadows, gazing at the patrolling dust-tuned. "Those things used to be people. But somewhere down the line they either volunteered or were kidnapped by the New Dawn and turned into dust-filled monstrosities."

Hazel clenched his fist. "How long you think they've been doing that?"

"Long enough. Apparently one of the people behind that ordeal was Arthur's old boss back during his Atlas days."

"Colonel Alexis Ravus?"

Hearing Hazel speak his name was surprising. "That's the one! He's been into some pretty unethical stuff for quite a while. For how long I can't say, but well." He motioned at the dust-tuned. "It worked out for him."

"How problematic do you think they are?"

"Not that big of a deal if I'm being completely honest. You get used to them after a few scuffles. They're not the biggest problem. I don't know what the endgame is, except that I think the dust-tuned are just the first part of something bigger. Call it a hunch, but the Templar are much more of a threat, and even they aren't _that_ big of a deal."

"Templar?" Hazel looked back from out of the shadows. "Looks like they moved on. Now's our chance."

"Great. We'll fill you in on everything at Haven." Qrow leaped out of the shadows the moment Hazel nodded as they continued their breakneck pace toward what poetically seemed to be the only safe haven in the kingdom.

* * *

Anastasia walked down the dark-lit corridor, following closely behind her boss. He had changed into his robes again. Where was he taking her? Raye was walking beside her and looked bothered by something. Mistral was now under their complete control, which meant they could finally do what needed to be done all this time! The corrupt, the greedy, the criminals and thugs of Mistral—all of them would get what was coming to them!

"How strongly have you desired the power of your stepsister, Vest?" Owain asked.

More than anything. The Four Maidens were always just a legend, but when she found out that they were real, and that that waste of flesh was _the_ Fall Maiden, she felt like the gods themselves had slapped her in the face. She would dream and dream and dream every night of becoming the next Fall Maiden, of taking the power that was _hers_ and not Cinders. "I don't want her power anymore. It's been tainted by her essence. I say that because I _know_ you have an even greater power. I got a peak at what Shan did, and that wasn't normal."

"Indeed, indeed. What Shan exhibited was a…let's say it's a creation of a colleague of mine. Of Albus. I know now that the maidens were birthed of a rather…ill-developed power. One not intended on combat. However, the mage on the other hand…"

"Can I be made into a mage?" She asked.

"Of course! That is where we're headed! The facility beneath this new metal abomination, courtesy of Project Omega, is home to a special lab. There, you will be imbued with a power "beyond your imagining" as it were."

She beamed. She didn't care if it came with extreme pain or side effects. All she wanted was power. The power to do things herself! She wouldn't have to rely on anyone anymore. She could actually be useful in helping Owain fix the world rather than just being another lackey.

"Boss," Raye said.

Did she want to become a mage too?

"What is it, Amaranth?"

"How are you and Yang related?"

He stopped in place. It was an odd thing to ask, but she did understand. They _did_ look eerily similar, that she already knew. She didn't really care all that much, save for the fact that they had similar powers. It scared her just a little that there was someone out there that could actually threaten him, though he never seemed worried about it so she wasn't either.

"Curious about my face, are you?"

"More than that. Her powers. Your powers. And your interest in her. She has no interest in helping us, so I just had to ask. Is she your twin sister or something?"

He turned his head to them and smiled. He then continued his stride further into the base. "Something like that. I wouldn't worry about it. Leave my dear "sister" to me."

"Well. If you say so…"

What was up with her? She said she wasn't having doubts so what gives? Did Yang really scare her that much? It was as Owain said. He'll handle her. She needed to trust him more. It bothered her that she didn't.

They reached a large set of double doors. "Well, here we are," Owain said. "Raye."

"Yes, boss?"

"Input the password."

She looked over at Raye who hesitated for a moment before rushing over to do as was commanded. The doors opened. Inside was a room that looked less like a laboratory and more like a wizard's tower. The room was filled with strange dust crystals that seemed to be of a different texture than she was familiar with. They were also made of colors she had never seen before.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I wanted to try something. Head on over to that table over there and lay on your back," Owain said.

"Sure thing." She walked over to the table which held several bonds obviously meant for hands and feet. She assumed it had to do with pain, to prevent the recipient from squirming. That was fine. She laid down.

"Raye, the bonds."

"S-sure." Raye rushed over and tightened the bonds. "Are you sure about this, Ana? What if you die or something?"

"Then I'll die. I want this, Raye. I _need_ this!" She stared at the ceiling. Several gigantic dust crystals and their points were aimed at her. One light blue, another one red like fire, the other was a dark, metallic gray. The last one was green like wind. She wondered if they each contained an element or something. The light blue reminded her of hard light dust. The red and green were fire and wind obviously. So the dark one was the liquid metal dust? She smirked. The smirk widened into a beaming smile.

"Are you ready?" Owain said as he stood off in the distance.

"Yes!"

"Raye, the switch. Over by the wall."

Raye sighed. "Yes sir!"

A few seconds passed as she stared at the ceiling, no longer focusing on the dust. Then a few more seconds passed. When was something going to—

The four crystals shot their energy into her as her body felt like it was exploding from the inside out. She screamed as loud as she could, enough to where her throat felt like it would rip apart. It felt like her muscles were being torn apart, like her skin was melting. She screamed and screamed, drowning out the cries of Raye. The screams turned into rage. A violent scream laced with her anger. No way she was dying here! She deserved this! She _needed_ this! The pain stabilized, then slowed to a halt. Her rage-filled screams shifted into a heaving episode of relieving breaths.

"Wonderful! You're body is still intact! You'd be surprised how many couldn't handle the transfer."

She kept heaving. She turned to him. "You said you wanted to try something?"

He smiled. He walked up to her slowly. "Tell me you two…" He stopped just short of the table. "Have either of you ever heard of the four warriors? Embodiments of what makes humanity special? Choice, Creation, Knowledge, and Destruction?"

"No." She said.

"No," Raye concurred.

"Well. "Legend" has it that once upon a time the maidens were granted pieces of their power. The Fall Maiden the power of the Warrior, the Winter Maiden the power of the King, the Spring Maiden the power of the Huntsman, and finally the Summer Maiden with the power of…well, me."

Her eyes widened.

"Oh yes. I will grant you _my_ blessing! So that you may go forth and _break_ your enemies. Though, I strongly recommend staying away from my…dear "sister" as she also bears the power of Destruction. That wouldn't go so well for you. And even if it would I _will_ kill you if you disobey that order. Understood?"

A chill rushed over her as she stared into the bloodlust-filled eyes as he stared back into hers, as if he was peering into her soul. "Y-yes, of course!"

"Good. Now once your bonds are undone, I want you to go forth and do the bidding of Shan. Wreak havoc upon the wicked, the broken, the greedy, and the weak. Your stepsister will no doubt cross paths with you at some point and of course I will not deny your wish. You may do with her what you will."

She smirked. "Good." That's all she could ever ask for.

He put his hand on her belly. A warmth filled her. It exploded into an intense heat. She felt invigorated! Like she was invincible! Like she could do anything, defeat anyone! She felt like nothing could hurt her, that nothing could slow her down. It was…euphoric. _Cinder, our little "fated" duel to the death has finally come!_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Good lord! Apparently, the average fanfiction chapter is nowhere near as long as mine are? Is that true? Does anyone feel they're too long? Originally I did that because I felt bad not publishing them super frequently by making them longer to compensate, but maybe I should go for shorter, more frequent releases? If anyone wants to tell me their opinion, I'd greatly appreciate it! :D Anyways! Hope you enjoy! Yang's arc is coming to a close. I'm not going to make it last longer than it needs to. I'm aching to get to Blake's arc, but I don't want to rush it.


	19. Yang's Arc Chapter 17

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 17 – Warriors of Light and Darkness**

* * *

Oscar sat down at Ghira's desk. He slid his hand over the mahogany desk. He was glad Ghira was making good use of it. Old memories emerged from the recesses of his mind. Though Ozma was gone now, he still felt an attachment of sorts. The lingering memory of the betrayal of the man who once sat at this desk still stung.

Ghira sighed. "I understand." He hung up his scroll and pocketed it. "The sudden act by the current regime was not completely unexpected, but James' hands are tied preparing for the assault. He's already been given the go ahead by the other nations to move up the planned date of the assault on the New Dawn. With Martial Law now in place, he and everyone else consider it an inevitability that Mistral itself will become a battleground."

"So it'll be up to us to minimize civilian casualties." Oscar rubbed his chin. "Well, first things first."

"Any ideas?" Ghira asked.

"For the moment, I'm just planning to write a few things down for Yang. I figured it was time for me to recall what memories of Freya I have left. Specifically, her powers so I can help Yang learn more about them. The memories are sort of scattered so I was hoping that writing would help organize them."

"I see. Do you think you could do the same for Blake? I mean, if it's not too much trouble?"

He smiled. "Sure thing!"

Ghira returned the smile. "Well, if you need anything, let me know. I'll be outside, helping coordinate whatever huntsman and huntresses are currently at Haven. I'm not sure if I should call the ones out on missions back or not."

"Well for now, why don't you join me? I'd like Blake to join us as well. The White Fang will most assuredly be helpful. I think it's time for us to make plans to settle this matter once and for all."

Ghira's expression turned firm and stern. He nodded. "I'll see if Nero could join us as well. I understand he leads the Black Claw, and hopefully we can convince him to have them aid us. I mean, Blake _did_ say he'd help. I think it's time we call that in."

"Excellent plan!" He opened a drawer and took out a sheet of paper, pulled out a pen from the cup at the edge of the desk, and set it to the paper. _Now let's see…_

"I'll go to the infirmary to check up on the others. As soon as they're able, I'll have them sent up here," Ghira said.

"Thank you." He looked back down at the paper. _Freya…_ he tried to remember her. _His_ memories of her. Whatever might have lingered in the back of his mind, from the time they were merged. He closed his eyes as he tried and tried until an image flashed in his head. An image of a tall woman with long golden locks of hair. Her eyes, a burning red. He opened his eyes. It was odd, remembering her face. It was even stranger that it was so clear a memory, so crisp. One thing that sprouted to mind was how different she was. Her hair color was the same and so were her eyes, but she was _different_. That…didn't make sense. How then, did Yang and Owain look so much alike? Enough to be confused for twins.

He shook his head and returned to remembering. Though throughout his efforts, the only thing he could remember was her flowing golden hair in the form of pure energy, and an almighty destructive power that could make even the God of Darkness proud. A pure and _focused_ destructive power. Why it manifested as red energy was an oddity, but perhaps that had to do with the fact that she was human—a mixture of both light and dark. Though that didn't matter. As he remembered, he recalled the powers of the others as well, though he could only recall the King's and the Huntsman's; the Warrior's, who's name slipped his mind, was something he couldn't recall.

He remembered the King creating a spectral palace, larger than even the largest known palace in the world. Even though it was but a memory, he was in awe at the sheer magical power the King possessed. The staff he wielded, almost as tall as he was became the symbol of rule, alongside the crown. Something he recalled was a trend the King first started.

The Huntsman, however, was more reserved. Reclusive. He always stayed close to the shadows. It always seemed that wherever there were shadows, he was never far behind. Strange how the memory of the Warrior was the only one missing. Though he didn't dwell on it. It was a miracle he was even able to recall this much. Memories that weren't really his.

He began to write. Freya never gave it a term, though since he assumed Ozma only ever saw her powers while her hair was pure energy, he decided to name that form _Berserk_. Perhaps not very creative, but he felt that it was the most appropriate. The only problem was Yang's other form. The one that made her see the world through the eyes of a grimm. Her hair wasn't pure energy, though her aura _was_ reminiscent of Freya's—she even had signs of the Destruction energy of the Berserk form. He rubbed his chin. What to call it, what to call it…Oh! "False Berserk," he wrote down. Beside it, next to a dash, he wrote, "manifests the Destruction energy of Berserk, but weaker." When he fought Yang with the others, he didn't notice its power. Freya's was much more destructive, however focused it was. He continued writing, "perception and emotional state changed to one much more grimm-like. Perhaps a sign of the body acclimating to the actual Berserk." He didn't have proof of that, though he went with it. He would have to ask Yang for more details on how she felt while in her False Berserk state. As well as how she felt when she entered Berserk.

Owain mentioned an omen when referring to Yang's red eyes. As he recalled, Yang's red eyes were originally a sign of her semblance activating. Given that, and what Yang really was, he decided to name it _Berserk – Omen_ , a sign of what was to come. Yeah. He liked that. Hopefully Yang would as well. As for the other two…He drew a line underneath the last entry and wrote down, "Glyphs = Creation." The King never used them but considering what Weiss could do with her glyphs…No wait. Her glyphs were a family thing, weren't they? _It's not just an omen anymore, is it?_ Perhaps what Owain said could apply here as well? Perhaps Weiss being the Queen meant that whenever her powers awakened, they would mutate into something more? What could that be?

He tried and tried to focus on the smaller details of his memory of the original King creating the spectral palace, but he couldn't quite manage it. Either way, he wrote down, "Glyphs might be a family thing, but perhaps they might mutate in Weiss' case. Should pay attention to any odd behavior in the glyphs." That was probably as good as it was going to get. He had nothing concrete to go on. Albus has yet to show himself. With Nero, it'd be much easier; the man could teleport via shadows, had knowledge seemingly impossible for him to know, Blake shares the same semblance, though has yet to progress that far, and they both are reminiscent of the original Huntsman's behavior.

He drew another line below Weiss' entry and wrote down, "Shadows = Knowledge." Hmm…Interesting poetry there. It wasn't exactly an uncommon phrase to use the light as a metaphor for illuminating the truth and for darkness to hide the truth. Shadows weren't _of_ the darkness; they were cast by the light. Perhaps it was literal then. He smiled and added, "Knowledge can be gleamed from the shadows, wherever they are cast." He raised an eyebrow and after a bit of pondering, added, "Maybe. Still not sure on that. But something to consider." He turned around and gazed at his own shadow. _I wonder…_ "Nero, can you hear me? If you can, tell me yes when we meet!" Just in case. It couldn't hurt, and he had a doubt that Nero would even acknowledge this, but why not?

There was a knock at the door. It opened. It was Ghira who returned rather quickly. Following behind was Blake, Nero, Kali, Weiss, and Percival. "Where's Tai and Raven?"

"Out for a walk according to the medic," Ghira said.

"Oh. Guess we'll inform them later, then." He stood up from the desk and walked toward them. He looked over at Nero, hoping for a response. He got none. Instead, Nero walked over to the desk and looked down at the piece of paper, crossing his arms as he did.

"Nero?" Blake said.

Nero chuckled.

"What is it?" Oscar said.

Nero chuckled again. "You have a gaping hole where Weiss' entry is."

"What?" Weiss said. She looked over to him. "What were you writing?"

"Oh, the nature of your powers. I was trying to use Ozma's memories of the originals to try and figure out how your powers work or might change."

That caught both Blake's and Weiss' attention. Blake walked over to the desk and picked up the paper. It didn't take her long to read. She jerked her head over to Nero. "This has _got_ to be true. I mean for you. Us."

"Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't," Nero said as he swayed his tail back and forth.

" _Ugh!_ " Blake shouted.

 _Well, if Nero_ did _hear me, he certainly wasn't going to let me know_ , Oscar thought.

"Let me see that," Weiss said.

Blake handed it over.

Quickly reading it through, she raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you really have nothing, don't you?"

"Well, I mean, not much to go on. Albus isn't here so I can't exactly ask him. What about it though? Do you feel or notice anything different with your glyphs?"

"Not really," Weiss said. "By the way, you said you were using Ozma's old memories. What about _him_. The original King I mean. What were some of the things _he_ could do?"

"The only thing I emphatically remember is him creating an enormous spectral palace."

Weiss slumped forward. "Wonderful! That means I'm nowhere near close!"

Percival chuckled. "You'll get there. I'm sure of it, Weiss."

"He's right," Blake said. "Considering some of the stuff Yang can do now, I'd say you're just getting started!"

"On that note," Nero turned around and leaned against the desk with his arms still crossed. "What's the plan here? How are we going to "settle things once and for all," as you put it."

Oscar furrowed his brow. _Roundabout way of confirming it but…_ He looked over at Ghira who had an innocent look on his face. Guess that meant he _was_ giving him confirmation of his suspicions.

* * *

Cinder looked around. _This will do_ … "Hey."

"Yeah?" Mercury said.

"Mind keeping an eye out and informing me of anything that happens?"

Mercury raised an eyebrow.

"What do you intend to do?" Emerald asked.

 _You're not ready for that. You may have awoken a light in you that was seeded from the forgiveness of others, but that does not mean you are ready to truly use my blessing,_ The Warrior said. _So be it_ , she responded. _I'll do it anyway._ "I'm going to merge with the Blessing of the Warrior. After what happened with the others, we'll need all the help we can get."

Emerald nodded.

Mercury leaned against the wall. "So what exactly is gonna happen here?"

She looked up. _Well?_ The Warrior sighed. _Sit down and meditate. I'll…transport you to a…well let's just say it's a sort of mindscape. There, I'll put you through a number of harrowing trials. If you overcome them, then the blessing will truly be yours and will no longer be just a small boon._ "Looks like I just sit down and get put through some magic sort of test. Well, _tests_."

"Well, if you say so. Gives me some fresh air at least. I'll go walk around. See what's up. Check in later."

"Got it," She said.

As Mercury walked out, Emerald simply sat down on the bed.

"Em?" She asked.

"I'm not leaving. Never know what might happen."

She smiled. "Very well then." She sat down herself, placing both her hands on her thighs and closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths. _I'm ready._

… _Understood_. As the Warrior replied, she blacked out. She woke up with a loud gasp of air in an unfamiliar place. A tattered old building that— _Oh no._ This place _was_ familiar. For some reason everything seemed bigger. No. It was exactly as she remembered it. The shelves were up high, the bookcases were as well. It seemed like she barely reached the door knob to the door to the closet. She looked down at her hands. Her small, child-like hands.

" _Cinder!_ " A grating, banshee-like yell scratched its way into her ears as she jerked her head around. There, standing before her was that mean, old witch of a stepmother, stomping her way toward her.

She backed away slowly, but her stepmother quickened her pace. "Don't you dare walk away from _me_ , young lady!" _Slap!_ She was knocked straight onto the ground onto her back.

A rage took hold of her. _No. Not anymore!_ She thrusted her hand outward, but nothing came out. She gazed at her hand in surprise.

 _You will not leave this place until you pass this trial, Cinder,_ The Warrior said.

 _Figured,_ She thought. She stood up, but her stepmother struck her again.

"I told you not to go into his study ever again! How many times do I have to tell you!" As her stepmother raised her hand again, she tried to stop it, but failed. Her blood boiled, she let out a loud growl, and in a fit of rage, tried to punch her stepmother, though as soon as the punch landed everything shifted and she was now staring at the shelves and bookcases again. She looked down at her child-like hands again.

" _Cinder!"_

She backed away again, prepping herself for another slap.

She quickened her pace. "Don't you dare walk away from _me_ , young lady!" _Slap!_ She was knocked to the ground again. Her anger flared as she growled again. Unable to control herself, she—with a hate-filled roar—charged her stepmother, fist raised in the air. _Whoosh!_ She found herself staring at the same damn shelves and bookcases again. She clenched her fists and teeth.

" _Cinder!"_

How many times? How many times did she have to go through this?! She turned around and stood her ground.

She quickened her pace. "Don't you dare give me that look, young lady!" _Slap!_ She buckled but held her ground. _Slap!_ Another forceful blow to her other cheek almost knocked her into the wall. She tried and tried to keep her anger in check. "What the hell do you want me to do here?" She yelled as she stared up at the ceiling as if addressing a god.

No response.

Damn it! Trial, trial, trial. This was a trial. She was supposed to do _something,_ but—her stepmother grabbed her by the hair, forcing her up on her feet. That did nothing but fill her with a sense of bloodlust.

"We took you in and you've done nothing but act like a spoiled brat who does nothing but insult _his_ memory, _his_ love, and _his_ life!" She dragged her by the hair out of the study. She grabbed her stepmother's hands, _defiant_ , staring at her with a fire that spoke only death. _Whoosh!_ Once again, she infuriatingly found herself staring at the same sickening shelves and bookcases. Her breathing became erratic, she trembled. She wanted to scream, as loud as her little lungs could handle.

" _Cinder!"_

Every time she did anything to stop that bitch from hurting her only ever resulted in this damn trial resetting! What was she supposed to do? _Let_ herself get beaten? She turned around, still defiant.

Her stepmother quickened her pace. "Don't you dare give me that look, young lady!" Right before the slap came, she had a realization. As she collapsed onto the ground, she smiled. _Touché,_ she thought. _You're not ready for that,_ she recalled the Warrior's warning. That, _that_ was the hint she needed. She trembled. The anger dissipated. The void left behind by the one emotion that had driven her for so long was replaced by fear. She stared into the fiery eyes of her stepmother as her hand came down at her. _That's right, Cinder,_ the Warrior said. _Accept it, your weakness._ _Your helplessness._

A tear streaked down her face as the woman brought down a fist. "He gave you everything, and you have done nothing, but spit on his memory!" Her stepmother's eyes became a waterfall of anger-filled tears as the beating continued.

She cried herself. For what seemed like an eternity, she cried, enduring the pain. Then, it was all over. Her eyes darkened, and she blacked out. She awoke with a gasp, gaining her bearings as she almost fell over the edge of a tall building placed directly in front of Beacon Tower. She looked off in the distance. There, Jaune and Pyrrha were bolting closer to the tower as Ozpin turned around and walked inside.

 _With the acceptance of weakness comes another trial. As before, I will not allow you to leave this place till you pass to my satisfaction._ She gritted her teeth. _Fine_ , she thought back. She figured this trial had to do with Pyrrha and Ozpin and how she killed them. If that wasn't it, then this whole thing would just reset anyway. She leaped off the building and charged toward the tower. She retraced her steps all those years ago, every single step all the way up until she formed her bow. With every moment, she took a breath, waiting for the reset to happen, but it never came. She formed an arrow from dust and nocked the arrow. Another breath, still no reset. She loosed it as it barreled straight into the pod where Amber had been comatose. The scene played out just as she remembered it. Though she didn't smile. Her arrogance wasn't there anymore. In fact, she felt a little regret. Odd.

As Jaune and Pyrrha rushed passed him at Ozpin's behest, she watched them go by. She furrowed her brow as she took an extra long hard look at Jaune. She turned to face Ozpin who readied himself. She didn't say anythi— _Whoosh!_ She appeared atop the building facing Beacon Tower. She let out a low growl. Great. She retraced everything, just how it happened. It was going well and all of a sudden, she reset it? Why? What did she do wrong? Perhaps…She leaped off the building again and retraced her steps yet again all the way up to the same point in time. She formed her bow, created the arrow, nocked it, and loosed it to kill Amber. Yet as she did, she felt the same sense of regret. _Here goes…_ Jaune and Pyrrha rushed passed her again. She didn't linger on Jaune this time as she turned to face Ozpin who readied himself.

 _Play it out_ , she thought. She tried to remember what she had said to him. Oh yeah. "This whole time. Right beneath our feet. She was right about you. Such arrogance!" And with that, she let the scene play out. She clashed with Ozpin the same way it happened. No reset. As they clashed—magic against magic—she found herself wondering what he thought of her. Did he see her as a fraud? Did he regret he couldn't have Amber at his side? Did he ever think that perhaps Ambercould have awakened the Blessing? As they clashed and clashed, she found herself realizing his lack of will. Every blow seemed halfhearted. He seemed serious enough, though his attacks lacked a certain passion. She knew what it was. No. He wouldn't have even thought of the Blessing. He gave up on that hope long ago, didn't he?

Their clash came to a close and as he flew at her—shielded by his dwindling, weak-willed magic—she fired off the beam just as she had all those years ago. As the barrier crumbled right before her eyes, he still charged right at her. It was a hypocritical attack. Desperate yet not at the same time. As if he was acting desperate. His burning visage shimmered away from her as she floated down. His cane impacted the ground, its sound reverberating throughout the vault. No regret. _Play it out_ , she thought. So far so good.

And so she did. She played it out. She flew up top to Ozpin's office and watched the Grimm Dragon, waiting for Pyrrha to show up. _Play it out._ "Shh. This is your home now," she said halfheartedly. _What's the point of this trial? What am I supposed to overcome? Or realize?_ So far it was simply playing out an old memory. Which wasn't any different from the first trial. The Warrior wanted her to accept her own weakness. Great. So what was it this time?

The sound of the rising elevator, screeching and scraping alongside the metal ringed through her ears as it crashed to the top. The doors busted open as Pyrrha's weapon broke through. And so they clashed once again. However, unlike Ozpin, every attack she made was fullhearted. Filled with necessity, desperate—yet hopeful. She was trying. Trying not to survive but trying to win. She probably knew she couldn't win yet attempted to do so anyway. As their fight played out, she found herself…weakening. She began holding back. Letting Pyrrha gain ground. Letting her— _Whoosh!_

She almost tripped over the edge of the building again. _Damn it!_ That was it! She wants her to play it out! She wants her to kill Pyrrha coldheartedly just like she did originally. What a bitch! _You can't expect me to do that! You can't just expect me to let in the light, call me half a person, and still expect me to me a cold, dead monster!_

 _Do it. You must. Fulfill this scene's purpose. Fulfill_ your _purpose,_ the Warrior retorted. "Why?" She yelled. "What's the point? It's not like it'll change anything!"

"Cinder?" Emerald said.

She ignored the memory. It wasn't the real Emerald and besides, it wouldn't be playing out the scene, yet the Warrior seemed fine with her breaking the memory's consistency if it was to address her. If nothing else, it proved she was in control of it. It wasn't automatic. She was the one resetting the memories. _Fine. I'll play your game!_ She thought as she leaped off the building again and with a sense of frustration, played out the scene all the way to the end. To the point that she was to kill Pyrrha. As the arrow pierced through her heel, she felt a twinge of guilt. She gritted her teeth in response to it. _She wants me to be a monster yet be balanced with light. What nonsense._

She walked up to Pyrrha. _Play it out_ , she told herself. _Humor her. Let's see what torture she has in store for us._ From what she could tell, she probably wanted her to experience the terrible, deathly burn of Ruby's light. "It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours." As she spoke the words, she forced herself to smile as she did during that fateful day. She kneeled down, lifted up Pyrrha's head by her chin. "But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined." _Did I? Did I ever?_

Pyrrha looked her in the eyes as she pulled away. "Do you believe in destiny?"

Her eyes widened. She forced them to narrow, to follow the scene. "…yes." _That's right_ , the Warrior said. She stepped back, created her bow and arrow, and nocked it. _Accept your fate. Your destiny,_ the Warrior continued. Her heart began to race. Here it came. That dreaded moment.

She let the arrow loose as it pierced through Pyrrha's heart.

The moment where she would become permanently disfigured, and crippled.

Pyrrha's final death throes were actually a bit hard to watch this time around. Before, she had felt nothing. _Follow it through to the end,_ the Warrior spoke. She did exactly that. She stepped up to Pyrrha's darkening life, put her hand on her cheek, and…that was it. Ruby's sorrowful cry erupted out along with an eviscerating light. One she accepted. No screams this time. No moment of surprise. She felt the burn course through her. The parasite squirming as her eyes, face, and arm exploded with a mix of the light and the fire of the Fall Maiden.

 _You have passed. You are a puppet Cinder. Your destiny was to be one of the many disposable tools of Salem. A weak child pretending to be strong._

Darkness. As soon as the light faded, she saw nothing but darkness.

 _Now that you have accepted your weakness and your destiny as a being of darkness, of wretchedness, and hubris, your vessel has truly been filled with darkness. True darkness._ Your _true darkness. Not the darkness of Salem, not the darkness of humanity, not the darkness of the wretched, cruel, dishonorable, and wicked, but your own pitiful darkness._

She looked up. At the shining orb above her. The Warrior's voice had spoken through it. "Is this punishment? Am I to go through a hell, experiencing every moment of weakness, defeat, and misery I've ever gone through?"

"On the contrary, Cinder," the Warrior said. "You only experienced key defining moments in your life. Two events which cemented a powerful darkness in your soul. The darkness of never knowing true love and the darkness of hatred, spite, and vengeance." The light continued to float down until it was eye level. "And now, we may begin to fill your vessel with light. _Your_ light."

She furrowed her brow. "So another trial?"

"Yes." As the Warrior spoke, everything changed. She had been transported to a familiar place of dark crystal, bleak land, and darkened skies. "The Domain of Darkness?"

"Cinder," a familiar voice spoke. The light of the Warrior vanished. She turned around to gaze at Salem striding toward her, hands clasped behind her back.

 _I have no memory of this…_

"So this is your choice then? You think _you_ can make it your own? You think you—the weak, frightened, spiteful little girl who came clamoring to me for power, can actually make use of a power far beyond your own?" Salem scoffed. "I knew you were deluded, but _this_. Had I known that, I would have made _so_ much more use out of you!" Salem smirked.

She looked up. _What is this?_

 _This is your third trial. Defeat Salem. That simple. Though I should inform you that Salem_ can _kill you here and if you die here, you die for real._

"What?" She said aloud. She focused her gaze back at an approaching Salem.

"But since you've made your choice," Salem continued. "Let me put you out of this miserable existence!" A dark power formed around her, the grimm roared as the darkness swirled around her former master. "Come, child! Let's see your arrogance in full display!" Beowolf manticore hybrids, beringels mixed with griffons, two grimm dragons, and Salem herself all encroached upon her.

She backed away. She flared her powers, formed twin blades in her hands, gritted her teeth as she kept inching backward as whatever distance she made was closed by her former allies. _How the hell am I supposed to do this?_ She thought. Her heart raced, she started to tremble and sweat, she hesitated. Salem raised her right hand as a dark mist seeped out of it. A darkness much like the smoke of the grimm as howls and growls erupted from the mist. She could see claws and fangs slashing and gnashing through it as it inched ever closer. Her heart thumped hard and fast in her chest as she stumbled backward. _What am I doing?_ She thought angrily.

She growled, dispersed the blades, raised her hand, and incinerated the darkness with a brilliant flame. She pushed and pushed the flame out, engulfing Salem as well. She screamed in pain, though the harrowing screams shifted seamlessly into a cackle.

"It seems you've grown stronger, dear Cinder!" Salem stood intact, smoke and heat emanating off her immortal body, grimm at her side. "Though I hope you haven't forgotten my little problem."

She gritted her teeth. She jerked her head up. _How am I supposed to defeat an immortal?_ The Warrior didn't answer. She felt a sudden spike in temperature as well as a bright light from her peripheral as she looked in front of her. Barely making it, she countered Salem's blast of fire with her own, and she was losing. Not that she was surprised. She gained a lot of power from awakening the Blessing, but Salem still had a lot more power than an ordinary maiden. The proverbial tug of war went increasingly in Salem's favor as she found herself trembling more and more. Her breath became erratic as her magic faltered. She was scared. Scared to die here, after coming this far, by an enemy that was supposed to have been gone. It couldn't end like this could it?

She fell to one knee, trying her hardest to draw out every spec of power she had, but Salem simply sauntered forth with one hand lazily at her side, the other dominating her with fire she couldn't match.

"This is the truth, Cinder. You are weak, you are a puppet, a slave. Nothing more. I never intended to truly help you. That was but a means to control you, because deep down you _want_ to be controlled. Controlled by your fear, by your past, by your lust for power." Salem just kept striding forward, the grimm stationary—unmoving, glaring and glaring, howling and growling as if cheering for their master.

She buckled. She was on both her knees now. The trembling didn't stop. She was sweating profusely and not because of the heat. Her strength was faltering, her aura weakening. She was going to die. She had come this far, relived those horrid memories, only for it to end here. _I'm sorry Em, Mercury. You guys stood by me despite it all._ Their memories together flashed throughout her mind. All of them fake. None of them real. At least on her part. Yet, she was fond of them. And in that moment, she felt a strange regret. A strange glow in her heart, her soul, as the flames of death inched ever closer. Salem's dark eyes now looking down at her. She stared deeply into them, _defiant_. _No,_ she thought. _No!_ "I. Won't!" She forced out every ounce of strength she had. Strength she never knew she had. "One day I'll die, but I'll be damned if I let _you_ be the one to end me!"

 _Yes. Do it!_ The Warrior said. _Let go of your fear! If death comes, then let it! Face it with open arms and do what must be done!_

The Warrior's words reverberated in her mind, giving her power, strength. She fought back the flames, enough to stand up. Salem's eyes widened as she was forced back. She smirked. "Looks like you were wrong!" She—with both her hands—summoned up all the flame she could, winning the "tug of war" and engulfing Salem in a fiery column.

 _Well done. You have passed the third trial. By overcoming your own fear and by acknowledging the possibility of death, yet choosing to fight anyway, you have created the first half of the light you need to gain my blessing._

Ugh. "There's another trial?" She yelled aloud to the darkened, bloody sky. She heard footsteps suddenly. Salem walked out of the column intact as expected. "Why isn't she disappearing? I thought I completed the trial?"

Salem returned to her stride toward Cinder. She extended out her hand toward her. _The final trial begins now and be warned, this is the most difficult of them all_. As Salem inched closer a sudden image formed behind her and a sword pierced her right through the heart. Salem's eyes widened. She struggled to look down as blood trickled down her mouth. She was in shock. She gripped the blade in her chest as a red energy consumed her. The sword was forced through her, cutting her in half. What remained was obliterated by the red energy and there, standing before her, was Owain Helios in his armored attire, reverse-horned visage and all.

 _You're joking, right?_ She thought. Owain was mortal, but his sort of power was completely different than Salem's! Was it even possible for her to win?

"What's the matter, girl? Have you lost your spunk? You bear the same eyes as Anastasia. A girl lusting for power. Well. You want power? Here I am!" He pointed his sword at her. "Come and take me!"

She growled. Ridiculous. She had nothing in common with Ana! She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. She stood her ground—feeling no fear—and stared him down.

 _You'll need a little help._ As the Warrior spoke, a light washed over her. She felt restored and strengthened. Odd. Why was she helping her now? Owain walked toward her, casually, slowly, sword held at his side. He was completely unguarded. She stepped forward and unleashed a billowing flame of pure brilliance—brighter than usual—at him as he split the flame in two as it blew off to his sides, leaving him unsinged. As she ended the attack, he let his sword drop to his side again, continuing his stroll toward her. She stood her ground, brought her arms off to her sides, charged up large orbs of fire in each hand, and tossed them—one after the other—at him as both exploded into an enormous pillar of almost white fire.

The pillar twisted, it ripped apart as a violent wave of force struck her faster than she could react. The blow shattered her aura, broke a few bones, and knocked her back as she tried to maintain her footing, sliding across the ground as a result. She heaved and heaved, blood dripping off her body. She had forgotten. In her concern, she forgot that he had the same semblance as Yang. How in the world was she supposed to beat him then? The more she damaged him, the more dangerous he became!

 _Here, let me help you._ The Warrior restored her, replenishing her aura, and empowering her even further. Was she that disadvantaged against him? Or did it have to do with the trial?

Owain walked through the plume of smoke. Her fear returned. Fear and…

 _That's right. Had your positions been reversed it would have been you who worshipped him,_ the Warrior said. _He is everything you ever wished to become. Strong, overpowering, terrifying. Everything you ever wished for he embodied, personified. No one can hurt him, touch him, nor make him succumb in anyway. He is indomitable._

She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes and lowered her head. _Think, THINK_ , _how am I going to do this?_

He stopped in place. "Oh don't tell me you've lost your spark. Come now, don't let the fact that violence only makes me stronger deter you. Don't be so weak!"

His words made her jerk her head to face him. _Weak?_ "That's right. I bet you are one of those fools who believe that literal power is what makes one strong." He scoffed loudly. "Don't be so ridiculous. Even a god can be weak! Strength comes from _will!_ Not from the insecurities of a fool who wishes to have everything and everyone yet lives their lives in paranoia! That is what you wanted, yes? To be at the top so that no one could ever hurt you, insult you, maim you, belittle you, look down on you, make you fret nor panic? That, cowardly little girl, is _pure_ , refined, _weakness_!"

She was forced onto her back. The sudden move confused her senses. His hand was at her throat, he pinned her down. She kicked and flailed, trying to force off his grip off her throat, yet he did not budge. He aimed the point of his blade at her head and drew it back, clearly planning to bring it down. She flailed harder and harder. _No, no, no! Not here, not now!_ She panicked, she tried to breath, but he was crushing her throat.

 _You'll need more power._ The Warrior strengthened her again. Enough to charge up a blast that forced him off with just enough room between them for her to stumble to her feet and away from him. She caught her breath, coughing and coughing. She brought up her guard. Ready to fend off his attack this time around. She figured she had been right to assume she couldn't beat him without help. Though as she thought about it, she wondered why she waited to give her more power. Why not just give it to her all at once, and allow her to face him as an equal or better?

"A gift?" Owain asked. He scoffed again. "Are you really so inadequate that you need a gift to defend yourself? Can you not fight for yourself? Can you not muster your _own_ strength rather than that of another?"

She growled. Standing around waiting for death wasn't going to do a damn thing! She charged him, forming a long blade of crystalline flame in her right and swung it at him. He rebuffed her with a swat of his hand, bringing his sword down at her diagonally as she sidestepped away from her while she took another swing at him, crashing the blade, shattering it over his body. "There it is," he said. "Fight, _fight!_ " She formed another blade and broke it over his armor, then another, then another. They traded swings. She dodged each of his as he tanked each of hers. She couldn't afford to take a single hit. She waited and waited for another surge of power, but it never came. She assumed it was because she didn't need it; she assumed it meant she was powerful enough, that she could beat him. She felt a rush of confidence. She smirked.

As she brought down another blade, he swatted it aside and plunged his blade deep into her stomach, piercing her aura, as he removed the blade with a kick, knocking her back as she rolled and slid on the ground several feet away. She coughed up blood. Again, another surge of power came, one much more powerful than before. It restored her aura, empowered her in ways she had never even imagined. Her fear dissipated, her anger vanished, her doubts washed away. She charged him again, yet he simply sidestepped her blow and cut her down the length of her spine. With a harrowing scream, her aura was shattered once more, as blood sprayed from her back. She gasped as her vision blurred. She fell to her knees, propping herself up by her forearms, coughing up blood again. Then, another surge of power came. Yet what was the point? It didn't matter how much power she received; she wasn't able to do anything to him. _Why?!_ With that thought of pure frustration came the realization.

 _Finally figured it out, have we?_ The Warrior spoke.

She could hear Owain slowly stepping toward her. She squeezed her eyes shut and trembled. She felt stupid. Of course that's what it was!

"No matter how powerful you become, no matter what strength is given to you, no matter how much you are feared, you'll never be satiated, satisfied, nor will you ever be safe and secure. You will roam this meaningless world, never to find peace nor satisfaction, and you will die weak and alone!" Owain kept with his approach.

 _Cinder. Has there ever been a time in your life where you believed in yourself?_ She broke at the Warrior's words. The answer was clear. She couldn't do anything herself. She always needed someone else's help. Of course she would want power! How else was she to survive? How else was she to be free from her weakness, her inadequacy? An image, a memory of Jaune's words back at Haven rushed in her mind. Broken. She was broken. She was always broken.

Owain stopped just behind her. She knew he was there, looming over her, sword ready to strike her down. "Now let me put your miserable soul to rest." She could feel the energy crackle. She even saw it. In the corners of her eyes she saw red energy coalesce to him. How was she supposed to let go? _Just let go. That's it. Simply let go,_ the Warrior cried. Then, she stopped. She stood up. She took several breaths. She reminisced. About her father, about her stepmother, Ana's constant lies and tattle tailing. All the times Ana used her to get on peoples' good side. She remembered meeting Emerald, and her being thankful. She realized she had taken on a few of her stepmother's traits, yet Emerald never felt the same way about her that she did with her stepmother. She remembered Mercury's pride. She remembered finally meeting Ruby, lusting for vengeance only to be defeated again and again as she sought it out. She remembered being spared. A chance given to her that she didn't deserve. She took one last deep breath and… "Take it all. Take it all away. All the power that I have." She looked up at the sky, ignoring Owain's "scythe". "I don't need it anymore," she asserted.

Time stopped. All the sounds froze, the howling grimm she had forgotten about froze in place.

 _Are you sure? Is that what you really want?_ The Warrior asked.

"What am I supposed to do with power? There's no more Salem. I have…friends now. Power won't defeat Owain, so…" She looked up again. "What's the point? Yes, this is what I want!"

Everything went white. Everything faded. She was in a place of pure white now.

"Finally you understand!" The reverberating voice of the Warrior said. "Dare I say, in a few years you might even have the soul of a hero!" She laughed a little. "I'm impressed! You've been through a lot, yet all this time, you were always your own worst enemy."

She felt an emptiness. A good kind of emptiness. A sense of peace. "So what happens now?" She asked.

"Well, you return to the real world! When you do, I'll be gone, and you'll find yourself to be a bit…different."

"Gone?"

"Well, I was but a simple, yet complicated message left behind by my original self. I am but a piece of my soul left behind. It allowed me to speak through the blessing, though now I must pass on. Understand however that you are no longer the Fall Maiden, and thus if and when you die, the power you wield will die with you."

She furrowed her brow. She didn't really care, however. Not because the old her wouldn't have cared about who became the next Fall Maiden, though a part of her would have. Had the old her discovered Ruby could have been the next Fall Maiden then _that_ would have bothered her, though now she didn't care either way. "Anything else I should know?"

"Yes. My successor, Ruby Rose, please give her a message from me."

"Alright."

"Humanity is made of both light and dark, however one is always dominant. For me, though I had access to both in a physical form, I was still predominantly light and thus I fought for the light. However, I can sense things have changed and this world, this time period is different. Ruby Rose must decide. For her, it won't be as simple. She'll have to decide between light and darkness. And once she makes this choice, the other three will follow her path."

"The other three? You mean the other warriors?"

"Yes."

"By the way, about them. Do you have any ideas as to how there are two sets?"

"None. Seeing through you made me realize Freya and Yang are quite different. However, I've never formally seen Owain without his helmet on, so I can't say the same for him."

"I see."

"Well then, farewell!"

With that, she jolted awake. It was jarring. The transition was instantaneous. She was still in the room."

"Cinder? Did it work? Did you do it?" Em said.

She looked over to her. She was concerned, though the moment she looked at her, her face transitioned to one of surprise. "What is it?" She asked.

"Y-your face," Em said.

Her eyes widened. She hadn't realized. She raised her left hand and felt her left eye. She could see through it! She felt it and it was there, the scars gone. She undid the cloth around her left arm and stared in surprise. "I'm whole now, aren't I?" She said aloud, though she didn't intend to. Her arm was completely healed. She closed and opened her fists a few times, getting lost in the sensation of having a normal arm again. "Come on," She forced herself back to the present. "We need to see the others. No doubt they'll have planned something by now and I want to be a part of it. That and I have a message to give to Ruby."

* * *

Qrow walked through the doors of the headmaster's office. "Hey". He was greeted by almost everyone. Though Yang and Jaune, as well as Cinder's group was missing. "Did I miss anything?"

"Hazel?" Oscar asked.

"Good to see you again, kid. So Qrow said you'd fill me in on everything. Came here to lend a hand in stopping all this nonsense."

Hazel was greeted by accepting smiles. Oscar practically beamed. "Of course!"

Qrow leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as Oscar told Hazel everything. He took everything in stride. Pretty much to be expected, though he seemed to have a particular issue with Owain and Shan. He pretty much knew why.

Hazel sighed. "I get the feeling Owain is not telling Yang everything. For a man seemingly in love with violence, he's awfully docile. He waited till now to give the order to enact Martial Law? From my experience, people who resort to violence are not as in control as he is. Even Salem wasn't like that. Even with her grimm nature, she often resorted to other means and not just killing."

Raven mimicked Qrow's posture, looking down at the ground as she did. "Yeah. Though from what Owain said to Yang back at the mansion, it seems more like he agrees with us on the whole morality thing."

"Yeah," Tai said. "Except he's going down the dark path in handling that. His mentality is pretty much that everyone is a savage or what not and he wants to keep them in line. How else is he going to do that without a dictatorship?"

"So, what's the plan?" Ruby asked.

"I'm still in contact with Watts, these days." Hazel motioned over to him and Raven. "If you too don't mind acting as his temporary eyes and ears, we might be able to get a fix on a few key locations we'll need to target."

"Good idea," Oscar said. "You two up to it?"

"Sure!" Qrow said.

"Doesn't seem like any of them know we can turn into birds. Even Owain seems ignorant," Raven said.

"Great. Meanwhile, Blake, Nero?"

Blake turned to face Nero, as if expecting him to go first.

Nero stepped forward. "No need." He turned to Ghira. "Would it be too much trouble to ask if you called back all your huntsmen and huntresses?"

Ghira shrugged. "Don't see why not. Why?"

"We'll need them to act as our primary means to nonviolently secure the city. They'll fight if they have to, though they need to be sent off to heavy population centers to help calm any riots and violence between the government and the people. Having Haven act as a neutral third party will serve to protect them, though Shan won't care either way. Regardless, keep Haven's official forces neutral, and Owain will feel obligated to ensure they aren't drawn into the conflict."

Blake smiled. "That way, they can do their job without having to worry about the repercussions. Though…" She furrowed her brow. "How can you be certain Owain won't give the order to have them hunted down too?"

"He won't. He may have fallen, but he isn't a monster believe it or not. It's as Hazel said. He's only violent when necessary."

Hazel furrowed his brow. "I never said "when necessary.""

"Right. Of course. I meant, from _his_ perspective. He won't kill anyone just because they oppose him. Shan will, but he won't. Shan won't do anything without Owain's command."

Blake sighed. "Hopefully you're right. As for the White Fang, I'll have a portion of our forces aid Haven, while I send a number of our elite teams in backing up whatever our main force is. The one that'll bring the fight to the man himself."

"That's fine. The primary location this "Watts" as well as Qrow and Raven should scout out is a fortress a little north from here, near the northern end of the cliffs near Argus. It'll be hard to spot, so you'll need to get a closer look, though the both of them should have no problem. May I ask what Watts' skillset is?"

"Useful," Hazel said.

 _Smart,_ Qrow thought. He didn't like the idea of Nero helping out, though what were they going to do about it? Blake wasn't stupid, so he deferred to her on this. Either way, keeping him in the dark about a few things will at least help them out should it turn out Nero turned out to be the enemy.

The doors to the office opened. Cinder walked through with Emerald and Mercury, and he was rather surprised to find herself as good as new. Better even! Her aura was activated, and it felt _different_. Different from even when she awoke that whole blessing thing.

"Cinder?" Ruby asked. "W-what happened?"

"You did it, didn't you?" Oscar said.

She nodded. "I did. I've merged with the Blessing of the Warrior. She's gone now." She turned to face Ruby. "She left a message for you."

"A message?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. She wanted you to know that you'll have to make a choice between light and darkness and that it won't be an easy choice. She implied you couldn't be both, that one _had_ to be dominant over the other and that whichever one you choose, the rest of team RWBY will follow that decision."

Qrow caught Blake turn over to glance at Nero in response to that last part. Her eyes furrowed. Bet she was wondering if that applied to _them_ as well. He looked over to Ruby who seemed concerned over the message. Hell, he was feeling a bit concerned too. That whole thing with Morgan spooked Ruby and now she might have to choose between herself and her darkside? Could she even do that?

Ruby turned over to Nero. "Nero."

His tail began swaying back and forth.

"Tell me. The Warrior. Whoever he is, wherever he is, is she right about that? Did he choose darkness and is that why you're doing what you're doing? Is that why Owain is doing what he's doing?"

He honestly understood that actually. A loyalty to one's team. He felt it himself a long time ago. It was why he had such an issue with Raven in the past. The fact that she just abandoned them. Not just Yang, but her team as well. It was a scary thought to think that team RWBY might go through something similar. Though in this case, it was the _other_ choice he was worried about. What if Ruby…

"That's not my place to say. You'll have to ask the man himself. You'll meet him soon enough. When I won't say, though I should probably warn you to watch the skies. You never know when Death might come from above."

Ruby furrowed her brow at that.

"You know, Morgan thinks awfully similarly to Owain," Blake said. "You can just come out and say it, Nero. No need to hide it."

"What about you, Blake?" Nero asked. "If Ruby made her choice and chose Morgan, will you follow her?"

"I'll be at her side to help her do the right thing, even if that means stopping her from becoming a monster if that's what you mean!" Blake said.

Percival let out a slight laugh. He smiled. "Well said, Blake."

Weiss gave her own smile. "That's right! Whatever she chooses we'll have her back. And a good leader always listens to the advice of their team! We won't allow her to turn into something's she's not. She won't be another Salem!"

Nero chuckled.

"What?" Blake asked.

"Nothing. You can ignore that. Besides, I think we're getting off track." Nero turned to look at Cinder. "And what'll you be doing, Miss "Fall Warrior?""

"I'll be sticking with Yang. She'll no doubt charge right to Owain and Anastasia is likely to be near him."

"I see," Nero said. "I suggest you contact Ironwood and plan to make your move the moment his side attacks."

"Already planned on it," Oscar said.

 _They'll follow her whatever she decides?_ Such a scary thought. Though he shook it off. It was an irrational fear. The thought of Blake, Weiss, or hell, Yang going nuts and becoming dictators and stuff was completely ridiculous.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Alright so, I'm not currently satisfied with the pacing on Cinder's trials, though I chose to do it this way so as to not draw it out with a few chapters so not sure. Didn't know how else to do it and felt a bit rushed since I took a while with finishing this chapter as well. Either way, I might go back and expand it, like the rest of the chapters. Though as per usual, any edits I make will steer clear from retcons that aren't absolutely necessary. Anywho! Hope you enjoy!


	20. Yang's Arc Chapter 18

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 18 – The Mage and the Maiden**

* * *

Raven looked up to see the gunfire and explosions out in the night sky right over Haven. Bits and pieces of rubble from the dorm directly in front of her fell to the ground from the rumbling. It seemed like Ironwood wanted a surprise attack. The airships zipped in quicker than she expected; hopefully that meant they got an upgrade. If the New Dawn was the only one sporting crazy new tech, then she'd have to slap Ironwood for slacking. She narrowed her eyes, scanning the airships, the way they were moving, the pattern in their attacks. It was a blitz; the ships blazed through the sky while firing volleys of missiles, dropping forces into Haven, and punching their way passed the New Dawn's fleet, all at once. It was efficient. Just then, she heard the distinct buzz characteristic of hard light dust deflecting an attack.

"Looks like Ironwood has taken precautions," Tai said as he looked down at his scroll. "Ghira sent a message saying Atlas has already deployed their rapid defenses. They've been prepping for this."

She nodded. "The war's officially started." She faced forward and continued her way into the hallway of one of the student dorms. The walls were fractured in places, though they were mostly intact. Dust and rubble was strewn throughout the wooden flooring of the dorm. It seemed to mostly be the left side that sustained damage from the attack on Haven. The memory reminded her of what was to come. She rubbed her wound. The final battle was definitely approaching. Despite how powerful Yang had gotten, she still had this fear—this worry she wasn't ready. Not that there was much choice. She doubted anything she said would deter her. Not that she would want to deter her, but well, a mother worries. No doubt Tai was thinking the same thing. Yang was her own person. Regardless of how dangerous it was, it was ultimately her decision to make, and she got the feeling the battle was going to be very personal.

She stopped by a door on the right side and knocked. _Yang…_ the least she could do was do her part. Her and Qrow had a scouting mission to go on as soon as Watts contacted them. Any piece of information—any at all that could help Yang was worth it. She kept rubbing the wound Owain had given her as if it would help make it go away as she knocked again. She noticed the wound had almost faded. It was almost unnoticeable now. It seemed like it faded more quickly the smaller it got. It was pretty much just a tiny splotch of sandpaper now.

"Maybe they're asleep? She didn't answer her scroll after all," Tai said. "Yang must be exhausted by now. To be honest, if she wasn't who she is, she'd be dead ten times over given how much she's been pushing herself. When was the last time she's had a good rest?"

"You're right. Not sure she's _had_ a good rest since this whole thing started. At least from when her power started to act up." She knocked again, but there was still no answer. She got a little worried and opened the door. Jaune was sleeping, softly snoring. She walked in as Tai followed her. She looked to her left and noticed Yang there, in the other bed, also sleeping. She smiled. "Come on. Let's go." Tai lingered before he left.

"So what now? You're not headed off with Qrow immediately, are you?" Tai asked as he shut the door behind them.

"What else? Transforming into a bird is magic. Doesn't require aura. Besides, I'll just be scouting, nothing more." And there was no way she was going to stay here, twiddling her thumbs waiting for things to go downhill.

Tai sighed. He scratched his head. "Alright, if you say so. Guess I'll help hold down the fort here."

She smiled. "Don't strain yourself _old man_."Just then, her scroll rang. She pulled it out. It was Watts. "Looks like I'm not the only one anxious to get some work done." She answered the scroll. "Yeah?"

"Raven?" Watts said. "Are you and Qrow ready?"

"Of course!" Quick and to the point with no small talk, eh? "Got anything for me?" There was a part of her that wanted to talk to the man about Alexis and if he has anything on him, though she got the feeling that was private.

"I already gave Qrow the coordinates. You're looking for a volcano of sorts; recently formed, not much geological activity so it never made the news. The main fortification of importance to us is inside."

"Got it. Anything else?"

"If you don't mind, could you maybe keep an eye out on anything regarding Alexis' relationship with the New Dawn? I've been keeping an eye on the man and I hear he's been acting as a double agent. Well, _triple_ agent if I were to make an accurate statement."

And there it was. Well, if nothing else, it helped ensure Watts could be trusted as an ally at least. "Will do. By the way, you wouldn't happen to have anything we could use in case templar show up, do you?"

"Not really. They're all independent of one another and not attached to any network. And in that case, it'll be easier just to destroy them the good old fashioned way."

Well it shouldn't be a problem so long as no one could identify them. "True enough. I'll get going then." She hung up, turned, and gave Tai a peck on the cheek. "Well, don't wait up." She walked off. Her scroll buzzed with the coordinates Watts gave Qrow. She memorized them and pocketed her scroll.

"Don't do anything crazy!"

"No promises!" She said with a wave goodbye. As she broke into a sprint outside, she felt her wound again, noticing that it was even smaller than it was a few moments ago. Hopefully that meant by the time she reached the designated spot with Qrow, she'd be ready to fight. She didn't expect this scouting mission to go south, but she wanted to be prepared just in case. With a step onto the stones outside the dorms, she shifted into a bird and flew off into the sky, swerved around back, and flew to an area at the back of Haven that allowed for entry or exit through the hard light shields.

With Qrow headed off in a different direction, she sped off straight to the spot, not bothering to take any twists or turns, fluttering her wings as fast as she could muster. She looked down at the rivers, valleys, villages, and towns as she flew. So far it seemed every part of Anima was peaceful save for Mistral. She wondered about the Branwen Tribe. How were they doing? Azure should be leading them well enough; with them no longer involved, she hoped they were staying low. They were strong, but she didn't think they were equipped to deal with what they've seen so far. As she flew and flew through the land of Anima, she noticed the formation off in the distance. It wasn't a long distance away, and there was no clearer evidence of that then the mountain that spiked up into the sky. She looked down again onto the lands below, noticing something peculiar. The grimm; they were all concentrated toward the west, and they seemed to be ignoring all the people. Strange. They were moving, slowly. From up where she was, it was like a mass of black, with bits and pieces of red and white moving like a tidal wave _away_ from population centers toward…the sea? A part of her urged her to follow them, though she quickly refocused.

She flew onward, toward the looming mountain. She couldn't help but notice the darkened clouds up above. _Great,_ she thought. Guess that meant Nero was right. The only reason she refrained from considering it a trap was that it was a roundabout way of doing it. Considering what Nero knows, if he wanted to give Owain—or anyone else—the knowledge that she and Qrow could turn into birds, then he'd have known by now. Though she didn't _rely_ on that assumption, she knew that the dark clouds were proof Owain was there. That forced her to remain shapeshifted lest she catch the governor's attention, and the last thing she needed was to bring that creep down on them.

She flew up the rocky side and sharply descended at an angle inside the volcano. She dived and dived and noticed a metallic spire built into the northern edge of the crater that was the inside of the volcano. There was a metallic bridge leading to it. From what happened to Argus, she had to assume this spire was either recently finished after quite a long construction or it might have something to do with the New Dawn's ability to build their bases so quickly. She scanned the place; the rocky volcanic rock, the dormancy of the volcano with its darkened visage, the black metallic spire that protruded out from the northern edge that blended in. It looked abandoned. There was no clearer sign of that then the complete lack of activity. There were no turrets, no robots, no dust-tuned, no defenses of any kind. There wasn't even any personnel, no landed airships, no equipment. It was a dead spire, almost as if it was simply a natural landmark, a creation of the dormant volcano itself. The only other thing of note was a large set of double doors that made up the entrance to the spire.

She assumed the spire must be much bigger inside than outside considering the size of the formation. It could go a few miles in if she was being smart about it. That meant that whatever this place was and the fact that Owain was here meant it must have been particularly important. Perhaps important enough that he and the rest of the others felt it important to keep it secret from even their closest subordinates, though she would have to refrain from relying on that assumption till she got a good look inside. She noticed another bird she recognized as Qrow fly in from above. Seems like he took some time to scout the area around the volcano. Maybe he spotted something she didn't. Though now that she thought about it, maybe the fact that the grimm were acting strange was connected. She would have to ask him if he spotted the same strange behavior from his side. He landed on another pipe several meters above her. She flew up to him and transformed as she landed on the pipe. He did the same.

"Anything?" He asked.

"No defenses at least. Keep our voices down just to be safe and we should be good till we get inside," She said.

"Inside? You do know Owain's in there, right?"

"I'm aware. Unless Nero told him of our ability, he shouldn't be able to recognize us."

"True, though I think he might find it a little odd that two birds somehow made it inside."

She crossed her arms. "I suppose…"

Qrow sat down, letting his legs hang. "Just saying it's a risk. Either way, we probably have to at least get a bit of a look inside."

"What about you? Find anything on the way here?"

"Besides the strange grimm activity? Not really."

"You noticed it too, then? Think it's connected to all of this?"

Qrow kept his gaze on the spire. "Probably. Especially with what was said back in Ghira's office. If it's true the Warrior chose darkness, then he might have obtained some means to control the grimm."

Seems like she missed something while she was out with Tai. "Not sure what he has planned for them, given the fact they're ignoring everyone." She let her arms drop. "Ready to go in?"

"On you, sis."

She jumped off the pipe and shifted into a bird again, landed directly in front of the gates, opened them, and kept them open long enough for Qrow to fly inside. As she followed him with a shift into her bird form, the gates closed shut, leaving behind a loud crash. The both of them found a perch to view the inside of the base with as they watched for any sign of activity, hoping that the closed gates didn't alert anybody. Minutes passed but nothing happened. The place seemed as abandoned as the outside. With no one coming she took to scanning the place. It was dimly lit. Lights were placed all along the walls near the top of this floor, giving off just enough light to light the path ahead. It was a long corridor now that she got a good look at the place. There _were_ stairs leading upward, but besides that, it seemed to go deeper inside just as she suspected. How deep she couldn't say, but perhaps they could check it out.

She flew off the perch and into the darkened corridor. As she flew ahead, she heard Qrow follow. Down the path, the lights brightened her vision of the place and it was _long_. Oddly enough, the entire corridor all seemed to be made of stone, a dark gray stone that had a slight shine to it. Why was it all metal on the outside then? A mixture of metal and stone? An odd combination considering the organization's penchant for metal. She took note of it either way; perhaps it meant something. _A metal spire lodged deep into a mountain, a dormant volcano, and odd use of stone._ It could be nothing, but this _was_ a scouting mission after all.

They reached a dead end. Well, almost. The end seemed to be an oddly ornate wall. It had glyphs painted all over it. It was the only one of its kind all the way down the corridor. With the both of them landed right in front of the wall, she turned around and scanned her environment before shifting back into her human form.

Qrow shifted as well. "What do you think?"

"Want to touch it? See what happens?" She said.

"Is that safe? What if it set off an alarm? Or exploded or something?"

"If it was a trap, then that'd be bothersome, but an alarm? Think we can handle that."

"Yeah, but you don't have your portals, remember? If we try to escape and they keep the entrance shut, we might not make it out in time if we have to transform back."

He had a point. "Well, so what do we do? Check the higher levels?"

"Yeah. Let's do that first. Might not need to mess with this thing."

They both turned around and transformed back into birds, flying off down the dimly lit corridor they came from. As they flew, she felt a pull tug at her. She looked over to Qrow and noticed something—though only for an instant. They were shifting, _against_ their will. _Thud!_ She slammed onto the ground, back in her human form. She bolted to her feet and looked around. _Something just forced us out of our bird forms!_ She turned around back to the dead end, and her eyes went wide. _Looks like we need to have a chat with Nero,_ she thought.

"Forgive me, Raven, Qrow, but there are things here you shouldn't be made aware of. Not yet at least," the man said. He stood there with a firm military posture with his hands clasped behind his back. His long white hair was in a ponytail and went over his left shoulder down his chest. His bright blue eyes staring directly at them. His distinctly familiar face, cold and stern.

She made direct eye contact with him. Her eyes jerked to the walls to her side; they were freezing over. She breathed out a cold breath of air. Qrow did the same. The cold was piercing her flesh. She checked her wound, rubbing it only to notice that it had disappeared. She turned on her aura. She clenched her teeth.

"Manners, manners," He sighed. "I forget myself. It's been a while you see, since I've had to watch my manners. I should properly introduce myself, shouldn't I? No doubt you already suspect who I am." He bowed. "My name is Albus Nix. It is a wonderful pleasure to see, well, one of you again at least."

 _This cold is dangerous._ She felt her aura draining from the sheer drop in temperature.

"What?" Qrow said. "First time we've met, pal." He looked over to her. "Met him before?"

"No. Never." Great. What were they gonna do now? What were the chances the King was a lot easier to defeat in combat than Owain? She smirked. The drop in temperature said no. It wasn't a coincidence. _He_ was doing it. It was hard to tell, but his aura was spiked somehow. He was dropping the temperature as a way of warning them; as if to say _don't even try_.

Albus brushed off his white coat as he moved on to fixing his bright blue tie. "Could I trouble you with a favor? Mind if you two left and went back to Haven, safe and sound? I understand Atlas has finally made their long awaited move, and they could use all of their best allied fighters, wouldn't you say?"

"And why would you do that? Let us go like that, I mean," Qrow asked.

"Well, why wouldn't I? You two are no threat to me or my dear teammate. Neither of us want you dead, and of course, I'd rather you be kept in the dark for now. You see, I have every reason to _insist_ that you leave. That, and well, I have a message for my other half."

She furrowed her brow. "And that is…?"

"Tell her Winter is safe and sound under my care."

Her eyes widened. "What? _You_ have her?!"

"And I would add that it be made clear that Weiss stands no chance against me. Not yet." As he finished, the walls cracked, the temperature plummeted, and her aura drained away like an open faucet.

His aura wouldn't regenerate, would it? She furrowed her brow. She drew her sword and, in that instant, flashed over to him with a horizontal cut. A red glyph froze her in place, while Albus himself stood unfazed, not even having lifted a finger.

"Raven," Albus said, making direct eye contact with her, maintaining that cold, emotionless expression.

She grunted, trying to force through whatever it was he did to her. "What?" She strained out.

"Recently, not some time after the events that transpired at the mansion, Nero and Yang had a little chat. He—at my behest—revealed some very important information to her as I felt she had a right to know, given the dire circumstances. I extend that right to you now. Though the two of them have made an agreement to keep that information secret, if you ask Yang and tell her what I have just told you, she'll no doubt reveal what she knows."

She furrowed her brow, staring the man down, though she stopped fighting. "What information? Why not just tell me right here and now?" It was a bit odd that he was addressing her and only her. Why not Qrow as well?

"It'd best come from your daughter. Both you and her will have a hard decision to make very soon. A choice which I felt was one that should be given to you. No doubt Owain will be quite upset, but regardless. When you return back to Haven and Yang awakes, ask her to tell you who Owain really is. As for Weiss…I look forward to formally speaking with her one day. It'll do my heart and soul a lot of good to be able to speak openly with her. Until then, farewell."

"What? Wait!" She felt a pull—a _powerful_ pull force her back into the air. She fell onto metallic ground. She looked up from where she fell to notice an unusually complexly designed Schnee glyph colored green in the air. The center of it had expanded into a circular portal. Qrow was thrusted out of it as well. And then it closed and disappeared. "Well, there goes that!"

Qrow grunted as he got to his feet. "At least we weren't forced to fight him. Not sure we would've made it out." He looked over to her. "This changes things, Raven. It's not like we didn't suspect the others to have some hand in this, especially Albus, but if he's here, and if he can port around, then that…" he scratched his head.

"Yeah. Strange. Albus didn't seem to be an enemy to Owain, yet Nero sides with us? That and how did he know we could transform? Was he watching us somehow?" What was Nero up to? With how powerful Owain was, he could just assault Haven—and with his teammates—have no trouble taking us all down. So what was going on then? What was the Warrior doing in all of this for that matter? Something definitely wasn't right. Were they toying with them? Or was it something else? Perhaps there was a reason to their lack of aggression that wasn't so obvious. Maybe it had something to do with the information Albus mentioned. She took out her scroll and called Oscar. Took only a second for him to pick up. "Oscar, we have a problem."

* * *

Oscar furrowed his brow. He looked up to Ruby, Weiss, and Blake who sat with him in Ghira's office. "What is it?"

"We encountered Albus. Albus Nix. He forced us out. Seems like he's definitely working with Owain, so if Nero intends to help us stop him, he's most likely the only one out of the four of them who intends to do so. That and he was _powerful_ , Oscar. Not sure I can compare him to Owain given their entirely different powers, but…well, I'm sure you know already."

He sighed. "That…changes things." It's not he didn't think about this. Albus had been working behind the scenes all this time; it was inevitable that he'd pop up sometime. Interest timing as well; he had been thinking about the King not too long ago. Though he knew it was coincidence, he couldn't help but momentarily entertain the idea that it was fate playing games with him. Fate telling him, _Your inability to figure out his powers will be your undoing_ , or something along those lines.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"Also," Raven said. "Albus had a message for Weiss."

Oscar looked over to Weiss. "What's the message?" Weiss furrowed her brow as he spoke.

"He has Winter. He'll also see her at some point. Can't say when. Except he seemed to be looking forward to it."

Three for three. Where was the Warrior and why was he the only one who was seemingly completely uninterested in his apparent doppelganger save for their first encounter? "Understood. Are you two alright? How did the scouting go?"

"Terrible. Didn't learn much of anything since Albus forced us out. He can use glyphs to create portals, and presumably used a glyph to reverse our shapeshifting. He also used a red glyph to…freeze me? I don't know, it was a weird feeling. It was like I lost control of my body."

He sighed again. _Has it manifested differently this time?_ The original King in no way needed Schnee glyphs to use his power. This revelation made Ozma's memories almost useless. "Got it. Come on back then. Try not to linger. If Albus let you go, then it's best to not assume he intends to forever."

Weiss' eyes widened at the mention of Albus. "Albus? He was there?"

Oscar hung up the scroll and placed it on the desk. "Yes. He was there. He used green—what I assume are Schnee glyphs—to teleport the two of them out of the base. He also used other glyphs with different abilities that you aren't capable of. That, and apparently Albus Nix wanted you to know that he has Winter."

She bolted to her feet with her fists clenched as she gritted her teeth. "So that's why I couldn't get in contact with her! I've been worried about her this whole time! If he does anything to her…"

"Raven also said Albus intends to meet you personally at some point. Didn't specify when. Apparently, he's wanting to meet you."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to it." It was barely noticeable, but as she spoke, he could tell that she seemed a little bit less stressed.

"Weiss?"

She took a deep breath and looked to Ruby. "I'll admit. In the back of my mind, I was a little worried that Percy might have been Albus. Ruby's suspicions might have rubbed off on me. A sort of "what if." But if he was over there, then I guess that confirms he's not. That…helps." She sighed and furrowed her brow. "Then again, he can teleport apparently…but if Raven and Qrow didn't recognize him as Percy then it couldn't be him!"

Blake smiled. "I wouldn't worry. I…" Her expression darkened. "They have a connection to us, don't they? Nero and I…it's strange, but I can feel it. It just doesn't feel right when I brush it off as both of us having the same power. It's deeper than that, but I can't figure out what that means!" She sighed. "What I'm trying to say is, is that you don't seem to get the same feeling with Percival, do you?"

She shook her head. "No. I…don't know what you mean. The deeper connection part, I mean. I guess that's proof enough then. If Percy was Albus I should be able to feel it then, wouldn't I?"

"I think so," Blake said.

"This deeper connection intrigues me." He thought about the old memories and how Freya was reminiscent of Yang but clearly a whole other person. Blake was right about that. There was definitely something to that, but what? "Ruby. When you met the Warrior for the first time, did you feel such a connection?"

She shook her head. "It all happened so fast and I was too busy trying to kill his dragon that I didn't pay much attention. Haven't seen or heard from him since."

Oscar rubbed his chin. _Why is he the only one?_ It nagged at him. Yang and Owain, Blake and Nero, Weiss and Albus. Something was going on here, and the only one not accounted for was the Warrior. But what was it? What was this all about? Owain apparently wants to be a tyrant, but the others are not…could he be a figurehead? A distraction?

"Have any ideas?" Blake asked.

Oscar shook his head. "I can't think of anything. For some reason, the Warrior isn't very interested in you Ruby. Not at the moment at least. Which I suppose is a good thing, but it just strikes me as odd as to why you'd be the sole exception. That and when I recalled Ozma's old memories, I was able to clearly recall Freya's face, her appearance, and power. One thing that immediately stood out to me was that she didn't look like Yang. Her hair and eyes were the same, but everything else?"

"Then how in the world do we look so much alike?" Blake asked.

"No clue. But it's definitely something to keep an eye out on. Whatever the connection is between your doppelgangers and you, is something we need to figure out. I get the feeling it ties into all of this. Otherwise, I don't think they would be so keen on being secretive."

Percival walked into the office, carrying a cupholder full of coffee. "Hopefully, I didn't take too long!" He walked up to them as Weiss and Blake grabbed their cups. "We'll be needing the caffeine given the current state of affairs. Hopefully the Atlesian shields hold up long enough for us to make our move."

"Thank you, Percy," Weiss said.

Oscar grabbed the last cup. "Thanks. I wouldn't worry too much. With Atlas on hand now, we've been bought a lot of time." He smiled, reminiscing on Ironwood's initiative. Even when he resorted to unethical tactics, he was quick to try and make a difference. He was never one to take things lying down. He hoped that Ironwood had prepared to prevent civilian casualties. He trusted him enough to rely on that hope.

Percival smiled. "So what did I miss?"

"Albus showed up at the base Raven and Qrow checked out. He teleported them out and told them he had Winter. That and he'd be meeting Weiss soon," Ruby said. She took a sip from her coffee.

"That's worrying," Percival said.

He looked over to Weiss, watching her facial expression, but trying not to draw attention. Her expression betrayed no concern, so he assumed she didn't notice anything. What Blake said about the connection definitely didn't seem to hold true for her and Percival. Even though Weiss said as much, his anxiety has been rather high lately, and he felt the need to double check. Not that he could properly do that since this connection Blake mentioned wouldn't be something he could feel. "If only we had access to Jinn, we could just ask her."

Blake's ears perked up. "Maybe I could ask for Nero's help with that." She sighed. "No, that wouldn't work. If he wanted us to know, he would just come out and say it." She furrowed her brow. "Then again…"

"What is it?" Weiss said.

"A few days ago, Nero mentioned he had something to show Raven and me. He didn't say what, though it was apparently only for the two of us. Maybe I could find out what _that_ is and see if it could give us some sort of clue."

As she spoke, he realized Nero was probably listening in on them. For an instant, he thought that maybe they should talk via message, but that wouldn't exactly be well-hidden to a guy who could listen in on them in the first place. Their unusual silence or odd topic of conversation considering the stress of everything would keep his guard up. "Give it a shot!"

"Think I will!" Blake got up. "I'll be back shortly." She walked out of the office.

* * *

Blake rushed over to an empty part of the courtyard, gazing up at the sky, the hard light shields, and the Atlas forces battling over Mistral. _Things are gonna get bad…_ She furrowed her brow and quickened her pace to a place where she could speak to her doppelganger in private. "Nero?" She waited for a response but received none. He never gave her his number, assuming he even had a scroll, so she couldn't contact him normally anyway. "Nero, I'd like to ask you something." Still no answer. She waited for a few minutes, but still nothing. She sighed, looking back over Mistral. _Hopefully there won't be too many civilian casualties._ She took out her scroll and contacted Ilia who was quick to respond. "How's everything going over there?"

"Good. Many of our members from other kingdoms have returned, except those in Vale. They know about what's been going on in Mistral and feel obligated to help out."

Vale? "Good. We'll need them on standby to evacuate civilians."

"Understood."

"Also, what was that about Vale? Is anything going on or is it just me worrying?"

"No, you have a reason to worry. Things are…strange over there. Grimm activity is higher over there than it's ever been, yet at the same time they're not doing anything. Some of our members also report strange activity. Weird distorted grimm howls, grimm which refuse to respond to negative emotion. Many of them also reported that Vale has been discovering a few dust mines that didn't seem to exist before. Our leaders over there are focusing their efforts on investigating these occurrences. Especially since some new Dust companies have sprung up recently which haven't shaken off the old ways of faunus slave labor."

"That _is_ troubling." Docile grimm and new dust mines? What was going on over there? "Anyway, not much we can do about that for now, though contact our branch in Vale and tell them to focus their efforts on the dust mines and dust trade. I don't want them taking unnecessary risks. As for Mistral, have Sun and Adam lead their respect teams into Mistral. I want Sun in Middle Mistral and Adam in Lower Mistral."

"Got it boss. I'll do that right away. Though before I go, I have to ask. What about Nero?"

"Don't worry about him for now. He's…around here somewhere. You leave him to me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Alright, if you say so. Be careful." Ilia hung up.

She looked around, making sure she was still alone. Most of the huntsmen and huntresses were busy rebuilding, moving supplies, sparring, or planning—despite the current battle. They were all far enough away to not overhear her, so she decided to give it another shot. "Nero? Are you listening? I need to talk to you." She waited for a few minutes, but he never showed up. Either he really did have no intention of revealing anything, which wasn't surprising, or he was up to something. She sighed. Not that there was anything she could do about it. At least for now. There was also the slim possibility his powers didn't work the way they suspected. Maybe she could…she called Yang but received no response. She tried two more times but nothing. She sighed. If only she could visit the vault without triggering the trap. She heard Yang was sleeping. She would have to wait for her to wake up before she could ask her to accompany her to the vault.

Though she didn't want to disturb her, she decided to head over to the dorm to at the very least leave her a note, just in case she couldn't contact her when she awoke.

* * *

Cinder rushed behind Em and Mercury as they stormed over to an abandoned building at the lower end of Upper Mistral. Atlesian airships were bombarding the New Dawn's forces and were surprisingly accurate. Seems Ironwood found a way to avoid collateral damage.

"Looks like this is it," Mercury said with a concerned look on his face. "No way the New Dawn is gonna take this sitting down. Anything they've been holding back is probably gonna start to show itself."

She nodded. She looked deep into the flames of war, the scattered rubble, the shattered templars, and broken bodies of dust-tuned—liquid dust spewed around them. She was hoping to find her stepsister here. "Keep your eyes open. If you see Ana, let me know."

"Got it," Merc said.

"What are you gonna do?" Em asked.

"I'm going to help out. The sooner we end this, the sooner we can relax." What was she going to do after this? She figured she'd keep track of things. What did Nero call her? The Fall Warrior? There was a part of her that felt a sense of pride at hearing that. A very small part of her. "If you find any civilians lead them to safety! Might as well do our part."

Em nodded as the both of them broke away, making way around the left side of the battlefield.

She herself stormed straight into the heat of it all. The old her would have been full of pride to know she was the last Fall Maiden. To be the first and only one to have been considered worthy of an ancient power. Yet now, all she felt was a sense of duty. No. No, what she felt was a desire to see how this all ends. She wasn't even sure what she was gonna do at the end of it all, but as for right now? She still had that one final part of her past still tethering her to that old, wretched part of her.

A volley of missiles streaked overhead, merely an inch over her head as she maneuvered into a straight stand, hand out, and…she closed her eyes. A…question formed in her head. It was odd. It wasn't a voice, but rather…a feeling? _Light or Darkness?_ It asked. _Darkness,_ she thought. As more missiles barreled toward her, she let out her signature love of fire, yet what came out was not normal fire, but violet flames surrounded by darkness, and an odd light. She felt the sheer destructive power of the flames as they consumed the missiles and the templar that shot them. As the flames dissipated, their ashes blew away with the wind.

Her muscles twitched and she found herself ducking between the pincer attack of two dust-tuned as she aimed her palms to each of their chests and blasted out beams of fire straight through them as the darkened flames consumed their bodies, leaving behind more ash. She stood up straight, gazing at her hand. _I wonder…_ the odd feeling didn't come, and she wondered if she had the power to switch to the light. She looked to the battlefield, the templar and dust-tuned cautious. _I think I'll stick with the darkness for a while,_ she thought. An explosion in the air caught her attention as the remains of an Atlesian airship rained down from above. She leaped backward, as a person slammed down into the ground, landing gracefully. Her familiar braided ponytail swaying in the wind as she smirked at her.

"Glad I could bump into you like this so soon, sister! Here I thought I'd have to tear through Haven to get to you!"

She furrowed her brow. There was something off about her. Ana was nowhere that powerful before. "How did you get so strong?"

Ana's smirk widened. "I've been made a mage! You can consider it an upgraded maiden! Not sure how it works, though that doesn't matter. And here you are a simple maiden."

That wasn't good news. She assumed it had something to do with Owain and his group. To be able to grant people magic wasn't something that should be so easy, yet here they were proving that wrong. Or maybe… "The blessing. Owain. Did he give you his blessing?"

"He did! But that wasn't what I was referring to! I've been given magic…" She got into a low fighting stance, as if she was about to pounce. " _And_ I've been given the boss' blessing!"

She ducked from Ana's launch, the sheer power of it bombarded her aura as she pivoted around blocking a punch that launched her back and through a building. Ana was already above her, pouncing down at her. She gritted her teeth and blew out a shockwave of the darkened flames. Screams. She jumped out of the building as Ana screamed as her aura flickered. _Aura!_ She smirked. The flames were potent against aura and dust. Made sense. She assumed that the light would only work against grimm. _Just like Ruby, then…_

Ana's screams turned vicious, angry, full of rage as her aura turned back on. She walked out of the building completely healed, though she still heaved out a few ragged breaths. "Turns out…" she heaved. "Having the Berserker's…" she heaved again. "Blessing has its perks!" She heaved once more. "And I don't recall you using dark flames, Cinder!"

Looks like Owain told her everything. She got into her own fighting stance, creating her signature crystalline flame blades though this time they were of the darkened flames. This wasn't going to be easy. To have a portion of Yang's strength and endurance… "I have my own blessing."

Ana's smirk turned into a frown. "The Warrior must have very low standards. There's no way a pig like you deserves such a thing!"

She furrowed her brow. It was an odd thing to hear this time around. She clenched her fist, an odd sense of disgust protruding out from deep inside of her. She looked at her stepsister _deeply_ and she could swear she saw someone far more familiar to her than her stepsister.

"Nothing? Does the cow not have anything to say to me?"

Her furrow shifted into pity.

Ana's expression warped into bewilderment and seamlessly into rage. "Oh don't you DARE!" With that came a vicious charge that tore through the ground she glided over.

She clashed with Ana—blade against fist—as Ana's power forced her back into a skid across the battleground, ripping through the ground beneath her. Expecting to weaken if not break Ana's aura, she was instead met with a wall of gridded light. _Hard light?_ The hard light shattered and reformed, shattered and reformed as the dark blade's power broke it down. Ana roared, her strength overpowering the dark blade. Her blade shattered against Ana's fist as she was pushed into another building and up against the rocky wall of the mountainside.

"You'll never beat me, Cinder! _Never!_ "

Ana squeezed her neck as tightly as she could with a single hand, trying to strangle the life out of her with pure strength. She forced out a chuckle and a smirk. "You're a lot weaker than Yang, you know that?"

"So?" She yelled.

"And…" She put both her hands on her arm and squeezed. "You got careless." She unleashed darkened flames from her hands, disintegrating Ana's arm.

Ana lurched backward with a scream, erratically stumbling throughout the broken building. She heaved and heaved with pain. "You!" Another bout of screaming though it simmered down into a muffled set of growls. "You bitch! I'm far from finished!" The stub of her arm grew outward.

 _No, no way! Yang couldn't heal lost limbs!_ She thought as she looked closely at her stepsister's arm as instead of healing, it reformed into…metal? Liquid metal more specifically. Wonderful. Ana caught her bearings, calmed down, morphed her new arm into a blade, surrounded it in hard light and charged again. She formed twin dark blades and traded blows with her, each one shattering one of her blades as she just formed them again. They traded and traded, swung and dodged, blades and hard light shattering and shattering as her stepsister became increasingly frustrated.

"Why!" Ana yelled amidst their furious exchange in the dead center of the inferno that was Upper Mistral. Ana thrusted her free hand forward, blasting out wind-empowered fire that she simply sidestepped as she maintained her defense. "Why do you insist on being such a thorn in my side!" Ana's strength increased as the metal formed into a metallic arm as she crashed her fist into her, shattering the dark blade, and slamming directly into her arm, bending it into her body as she streaked backward across the battlefield. _Crash!_ She hit another wall of stone, her aura flickering from the impact. She looked forward at Ana's reckless charge. She fell onto the ground, closed her eyes, held out her right hand, took a deep breath, and…

In that moment she swung out with a blade formed the moment she felt was right. She heard Ana crash into the buildings behind her. She turned around to face her, noticing the streaks of blood that led to the rubble. The battle wasn't over; she knew that much. As far as she knew, Owain didn't bother with anything fancy like expecting Ana to pass a set of trials. She was an asset and he treated her as such. She moved into a guarded position, keeping her senses primed. Every noise, every sight in her periphery, every smell—she found herself unusually aware, and she let it all in, ready for anything.


	21. Yang's Arc Chapter 19

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 19 – What Must Be Done**

* * *

Owain sat within Merlin's Spire—tapping the armrest of the lavish purple cushioned chair he was slouched in. He could do nothing but stare into space. Stare into space and _think_. The fated moment was barreling toward him like a freight train amid winter, hurrying to get much needed supplies to a starving town of strategic importance. He looked up at Merlin's strange new dust that he had created; it's strange rocky appearance as well as the lightened hues that contrasted traditional dust. _The mages were going to be useful_ , he thought. Why Albus felt the need to cover for Merlin was beyond him, though it didn't really matter. What _did_ matter was Albus taking so long to bring Atlas to heel. It could be sentimentality, though the Ice King was the last person he'd expect to still retain such a thing. However, _that_ he _could_ understand. He only hoped he didn't let it stall him too much.

He stood up and walked toward the television installed in the far, upper left corner of the room, and turned it on to the news. Several reporters were in the carnage, capturing footage for the world to see. Brave. Brave and admirable. Interestingly, the reporters refrained from blaming him or the New Dawn, and instead simply asked, "Who shot first?" Perhaps Albus hasn't been stalling as much as he thought. Though it _could_ be Alexis, that old roach. He doubted it; the man was attempting to be a triple agent and has taken him for an idiot as he assumes violence always equates to stupidity. Regardless, Albus had him by the proverbial throat and that was good enough.

As he continued to watch the battle unfold through the eyes of the reporters, he hoped the good folk over at Haven had already taken precautions against civilian deaths.

"Excuse me, sir?" The Butler said.

 _I didn't hear him come in…_ "What is it, William?" He turned and gazed at the old man.

William looked down and off to the side. He even fidgeted.

"Speak your mind," He commanded.

"Well, you see sir. I was wondering if you were one day going to attack Atlas. You see, I have a family there—"

"If you have a family of non-combatants and non-political officials—somewhere in Atlas—then please feel free to inform them of the coming danger and have them move to a safer location. One of the towns away from the kingdoms ought to be safest at the moment."

"I—of course, sir, as you command."

He sighed. "Hesitation is something I will not tolerate. Please, _speak_ your mind."

He saw a bit of fear in the old man's eyes as he seemed to struggle to find the right words.

"You are in no danger of harm, regardless of your words, that I promise." He had become a monster, but…

William seemed to catch his bearings. He stood up straight and stared him straight in the eyes. "Is this war really necessary?"

He tilted his head. "Tell me, what are your opinions on war? On peace and stability?"

"I—I haven't been involved in politics in quite sometime, but I…Well, war has its place, but only as a means of self-defense!"

"I understand. However, I must ask: As a person who is keenly aware of coming threats long before they arrive, is there good reason to sit idly by as the threat gains strength? Is taking the initiative not a justifiable action?"

"Is—is this conjecture, sir?"

"No, it isn't." He walked over to the bone white stoned desk in the far-right corner of the room—the one Albus would often sit at, writing letters—all to avoid catching the attention of certain prying eyes. He flipped through the letters and notes—none of them catching his interest. "I asked good Merlin a question not too long ago and he informed me of an interesting little detail. Not a very important one relative to you, however, the bit of information that I _will_ share is that without Salem, the world is no longer held back from its true potential." He turned to face him.

"Potential, sir?"

"People are _savages_ , William. Morality, justice, religion, hedonism, nationalism, _revolutions_ —all of these are illusions and delusions people without an ounce of willpower use to justify their own existence. Things of incredible importance to be sure, but only in the right minds. Creatures born from wretched, _flawed_ gods can't possibly overcome such a…shall I say, volatile mixture of light and dark. Now I ask you then: in your life experience, have you found any meaningful distinction between the corrupt and pure save for which of them has power?"

William paused. Clearly, he was disturbed by what he was saying. Such strong words coming from someone who not too long ago, strode right into a school of fighters and cut them down! No doubt, he was feeling more than just a bit of fear right about now. Though as the pause seemed to climax, he once again caught his bearings. "I don't believe in purity, sir. Never, in my 80 years of existence, have I met a person face to face that wasn't corrupt in some way."

"Indeed. And now, for the first time in this world's history, it has a level of peace and opportunity it has never experienced before. Opportunities for people looking for ways to fill the voids within their own souls. Such opportunity seeking will open doorways to wars never before seen. As an Atlesian citizen, have you not experienced one solution to such a dilemma? As an Atlesian citizen have you not experienced the virtues of strong, forceful leadership? As I recall that kingdom has more experience than any other in that respect; quite useful on a resume."

"I—the New Dawn. Does that mean—forgive me for failing to answer your question, but—does that mean _Atlas_ will aid y—us?"

"Indeed, indeed, though Atlas is not my territory. The world needs strong leadership to guide it and it will not allow that, under any circumstance. Hence this war. This is just the beginning, William. There will be casualties, but I promise you to minimize them where I can. Death is not my aim; _growth_ is my aim, and that can't exactly happen without the living, can it?"

William let out a heavy breath. "If that's true, then I guess I can't really worry much, can I?"

He smiled. "Go on. Take a break. I can take care of myself for a few hours. Though the mansion has been destroyed, if you wish, Albus can do all the work needed to transfer you safely to Atlas."

He bowed. "Of course, sir, thank you. I think I'll take you up on that. Stress is not very good for the heart for someone my age."

"Of course, I understand. Do take it easy."

With that, William the butler walked out of the room. Moments passed, then a few minutes as he continued to watch the news. _Yang, soon, you will see what I see_ …A knock came at the door. "Come in."

The door opened as Albus walked through it. "The battle for Mistral has officially started as you no doubt already know. Also, I'd like to inform you that your mother and uncle paid a visit not too long ago."

"She's not my mother. My mother is gone."

"Of course, but you still see her as such, don't you? You still have an attachment, no?"

He glared at him.

Albus sighed. "Fine, fine. Well then, I should probably mention that I had Nero reveal the truth to Yang. About you at least. She remains ignorant about a lot of things, though your identity—and that of our dear leader—is not one of those things."

"Wonderful…" He knew what his doppelganger was going to do with that information. Had their positions been reversed he would have come to the same conclusion, yet it was not meant to be. Her reasoning was flawed, as she didn't have the full story. "And what of Nero?"

"Indisposed at the moment. He's locked himself in his personal quarters at the Black Claw headquarters."

"What about Haven?"

Albus clasped his hands behind his back. "Well fortified, and I'm certain our forces do not have the strength to break through and take control of it. All four of us _are_ there after all. However, even they do not have the strength to stop you. Yang is currently asleep, though even should she awaken in time, she still has a gap to close, thus there is no one there to stop you should you bring down your full might upon them."

He turned to him. "How is it that you know Yang is asleep?"

"I have my ways. Regardless, will you do it? Or should I formally make my entrance?"

"No, no, you relax. Is my armor good and ready?"

"Indeed, it is."

"Then so be it. I'll enter the battle immediately." _Another sin to add to the mountain._ Let this be a message to his dear counterpart; redeeming him won't come so easily.

* * *

Blake walked toward the entrance to Haven, reaching near the end of the hardlight barrier that encompassed the area. She stopped near a few tattered buildings just short of the barrier's exit. She looked out onto the burning fires that crackled throughout the Upper City; the crimson flames and blackened smoke choked the air as the sound of gunfire, explosions, and armies clashing seemed to engross everything, even from here. Looking down below at a distance, the flames descended further and further down, almost like they would reach the Lower City. _This is bad. If this lasts any longer, then—_

"High Leader," a feminine voice interrupted.

She turned to the direction of the voice and noticed a light blue-haired girl walk out of the shadows of a building off to the side. The girl was young, a student perhaps? She was cloaked in black, and she carried twin sickles at her waist. "Who are you?" She asked.

The girl smiled and turned around, revealing the symbol of the Black Claw straight in the middle of her back. "The name's Frost Rosala. I'm one of Nero's disciples."

"Did he send you?" She couldn't tell what kind of faunus she was; her cloak hid it well. She'd like to think that the cloak design wasn't deliberate, and Nero wasn't having them hide what they were. "What's he doing by the way? I've been trying to get in contact with him."

She frowned. She looked off toward the battlefield. "You've been getting a little too friendly with the boss. You two are supposed to be enemies."

She returned the frown. "It was Nero who agreed to the alliance between us in the first place. I didn't even formally offer it before he accepted it."

Frost raised an eyebrow. "He did, did he?" She looked down and off to the side. "Why would he do that, I wonder…"

"Is that a problem?"

"Look, I know you are into the whole peace thing, but this is bigger than you, bigger than me, bigger than faunus. Sometimes peace just makes things worse. For example, would you make peace with cancer?"

Her frown deepened. "That sounds dangerously close to Owain's ideology."

Frost sighed. "I…didn't mean it like that. Look, just don't get the wrong idea; the boss is your _enemy_. When this battle is over, you'll do well to remember that. So, stop trying to contact him, stop trying to understand him, and trying to get close to him."

She crossed her arms. She knows an awful lot. Safe to say she isn't a low-ranking member. "I assume he sent you here because he didn't have the courage to face me. He seems to be that kind of person."

Frost's brow furrowed. "You know nothing about him. And as a matter a fact, I came here of my own volition. The boss doesn't know I'm here, though I can guarantee you, he approves."

"So, what then? Do you intend to fight me?"

She gave a strong smirk. "I'm here to demonstrate the difference between the White Fang and the Black Claw." She turned away from her and strode toward the battlefield, though she stopped just short of the barrier's edge. "And what you'll be facing!" With that, she leaped through the barrier and straight into the burning battleground that was Upper Mistral.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask Frost, but she knew she probably wouldn't get any answers. _Nero's preoccupied himself with something else because I was too friendly with him?_ What was that supposed to mean? She pondered, considering the idea that he might have allowed himself to get too close, or perhaps someone else in the Black Claw convinced him to detach himself, or perhaps… _Albus?_ He caught Raven and Qrow spying at that spire Nero told them about. Perhaps that meant he got caught helping them red-handed and now needs to lay low. She had no idea. She couldn't exactly read the guy, but either way. She looked off to the battlefield and pulled out Gambol Shroud. There was a war to win. Though first…she took out her scroll and contacted Ilia, who was quick to answer. "Ilia? I need you to open a dossier on a faunus named Frost Rosala. She's one of Nero's disciples."

"Got it. I take it you met her?"

"I did. She's told me a few things about Nero but nothing useful really. She seems skilled, so I need you to keep an eye on her. She has shoulder length light blue hair, wears a more elaborate version of the Black Claw uniform—it'll be obvious when you see it—and she has two sickles at her waist when they're not drawn."

There was a pause. One long enough for Ilia to have gotten all that down. "Got it. I'll inform our spies and team leaders to keep an eye out for her. Should they engage her at all?"

"No, just keep watch and lay low. I want to know more about her."

"Understood."

"Thanks, Ilia. I'll contact you if I need anything else."

"Got it. Careful out there, High Leader."

With that she hung up and charged out of the barrier—both to do her duty as High Leader of the White Fang and to see what Frost was capable of. Ruby should already be somewhere in the midst of the battle. Through the barrier, she quickly spotted Mercury and Emerald rescuing a few civilians that hadn't made it out yet. She motioned them over to Haven as they rushed to her. She sprinted in between them and the rest of the battlefield to cover their escape as she took a clear gander at her surroundings. The rampaging templar and dust-tuned seemed to be the only ones on the enemy side. _Where are all the actual soldiers?_ She thought as she felt a twinge of worry.

A streak of red, bladed rose petals struck one of the dust-tuned as it erupted into a howling fury. _Ruby?_ She looked up to where the streak came from as Frost landed near her, acknowledging her with a smirk as she looked back to the dust-tuned as it swung an arm, shattering the armor of another dust-tuned. The surrounding dust-tuned wasted no time in attacking their own, though the one struck with the petals overpowered them, grabbing one up with a single arm and crushing its throat, as it backhanded another one away. It charged at one of the templar as the templar sprayed it with bullets, though it simply charged right through the volley, seemingly unaffected by the pain.

As it fought, she noticed rose petals slowly falling from its body as it fought more and more viciously. It managed to take a large chunk out of the templar destroyer, as a few more dust-tuned pinned it down. It exploded into a roar as another rose petal fell. The roar died down as it seemed to suddenly get dizzy, as if it was about to fall over. Then, it collapsed onto the ground.

Blake looked over to Frost. "What did you do?"

"My semblance! I won't spill the beans though. You'll have to figure that one out yourself." Frost leaped back into the air and further into the field of battle. With that one attack, she managed to clear a hefty pack of enemy troops with the use of her semblance, whatever it was.

She broke away in another direction, still mindful of Frost, but not unaware of her own surroundings. She focused on checking each building—the ones that weren't complete rubble—as she checked around for allied soldiers, though most of them were either Atlesian troops, or people who had taken up arms against the New Dawn. Again, she noticed the lack of people save for her own side. The Mistral military was nowhere to be seen. Only the dust-tuned and templars of the New Dawn were present on the field of battle.

* * *

Cinder straightened her form and surrounded her left arm in blackened fire while she gripped her dark crystalline blade with the other as Ana walked out of the rubble unscathed, gasping out a breath in what seemed to be euphoria.

"Doesn't matter how much you hurt me, Cinder! It'll only make me _stronger!_ " The last word came with a charge.

 _No, there was a limit, you idiot._ She clashed with Ana—darkness against metal—as she parried her to the side, kneeing her away and batted her return charge to the side with her blade again. _It's definitely there. A hint of Yang's semblance, though a far cry from the real thing. Does that mean I have a weaker version of Ruby's semblance?_

Ana charged again, surrounding herself in flame, supplemented by wind. Like a comet, she tore through the streets as she barreled at her with a fat smile on her face, blade held out ready for a strike. _Or does she have that only because it was Owain who gave her the blessing? Would the Summer Maiden have a different power?_ She swerved to the side the moment before impact as she brought down her left arm in a slash of darkness that was mitigated with a hardlight shield. Ana let out a roar as she buffeted Cinder away with an enflamed gust of wind, following it up with a charge and a fist to the gut, launching her back as she skidded on the ground, breaking it apart to slow herself down.

Ana heaved. "Don't you want to kill me? Where's your bloodlust? You're awfully docile, sister! Is it fear?" She laughed. "It is, isn't it?"

She brushed off the damage, dispelled the darkness on her left arm, and released it in the back of her blade, allowing her follow-up "shadow" strikes as she flew toward Ana, sword held back, ready for a stroke. Ana lowered into a fighting stance—right fist held back—as they collided, the follow-up strikes to her slash cut through the wind, flames, and metal on Ana's side as she reeled away in pain, letting out a pained growl as the metal reformed. This time though, it crystallized. Strange. "Had enough? Walk away, Ana. I don't bare a grudge against you any longer." She was above all that now. She saw her for what she really was. Someone she used to be.

"No." She regained her bearings, calmed her breath, and stared her down. "I won't." She clenched her fists as her aura erupted with power. It coalesced around her as red, green, light-blue, and dark gray crystalline dust streaked across her face as if forming over scars. She flung her arms to the side as if to say, _Come at me!_ "You want this to be over? Then kill me!"

She furrowed her brow. "No more confidence?"

"I know what you think of me. I know what you're thinking. "Ana's just a scared little girl trying to act tough to hide those itty-bitty little scars inside her heart."" She spat. "Ana's just a whiny wretch, a spoiled brat who never gets her way!" right? Well, I won't give you the pleasure!" She charged again, her aura more powerful than before.

She sidestepped the comet-like attack as she brought down her blade in another swing of four strikes all in one. Ana blocked all of them—save for one—with her hardlight. An odd mix of colored liquid spewed on the ground beneath her as she coughed up more of it. _Just like a dust-tuned? Were the mages just advanced dust-tuned?_ A hint of pity sparked in her heart. _No, shut up. We're not one to talk._ She got back into a fighting stance as Ana once again stood up straight as more streaks of that dust covered her body. _We became a grimm monstrosity for power. How is this worse than that?_ "I don't pity you, Ana. I don't see you as someone I hate anymore. All you are to me now is an enemy in the battle for Mistral. It isn't personal to me anymore."

She laughed. "Not personal anymore? Liar. I treated you like garbage. For good reason too. There's no way someone like you would let that go so easily!" The end of her sentence came with another forceful charge that she simply sidestepped.

"I'm more experienced than you, Ana. Give up. Don't throw away your life for something so petty." Something she learned the hard way several times; power meant nothing in the hands of the wretched.

"Shut up!" She pivoted back into a ready position and unleashed a billowing wall of wind-empowered flame laced with razor sharp shards of metal toward her.

Cinder responded with a wall of the dark fire as some of Ana's attack forced its way through, cutting at her aura; she buckled from the impact as she noticed Ana charging at her flank from her periphery. With a loud roar, she struck her deep in the hips, launching her back, slamming onto the ground before she flipped back into a stand, shaking off the impact, but noting her near-depleted aura. Ana was still empowered by the blessing. She tried her hardest to ignore the questions nagging at her mind: "how did it work? What were the limits? How close to Yang was she really?" as she remained focused on her stepsister who took time to catch her breath.

"This is it, Cinder! I won't lose to you, I won't surrender, and I won't die!" She formed a blade with her right hand; a long blade made from swirling fire and wind made with an edge of the metal dust, hardened with the hardlight. It grew stronger and stronger, brighter and brighter, larger and larger. "To hell with the Fall Maiden! Let whichever poor girl unfortunate enough to get a grimy power such as yours deal with the consequences!"

Cinder furrowed her brow. Ana was hysterical. There was no talking her down. There was no talking down the visage of the girl who was remarkably like the old her. She extended her right arm, letting the dark flames form into their own blade. There was no hope for her stepsister. The darkened flames grew stronger. There was no salvation for the girl tethered to nothing save for a cause headed by a dictator. The flames strengthened, billowing with what seemed to be a darkened cry. This was the only way. Perhaps it was destiny, perhaps it wasn't; it didn't matter anymore however. The darkened flames grew even stronger.

Ana let out a crescendoing roar that came with another comet-like charge as she followed with her own calm, collected, quiet charge as they both swung their magical blades down at each others' chests. At the last moment, she pulled her blade up and parried Ana's as she—in that instant—formed a small, dagger like weapon of dark flames and sunk it deep into Ana's side, leaving it in place as she stepped backward, letting the dark flame blade dissipate alongside Ana's.

Ana lurched backward, trying to hold herself steady, her gaze in shock, as she gasped for air, coughing up blood. She grabbed the dark dagger with her metallic arm, only for it to destroy the fingers of the hand as she reformed it, this time with hardlight reinforcement, trying her hardest—while stumbling—to pull out the corrosive darkness stabbed into her abdomen. Her face cracked with more of that dust. She gasped again, and in that very moment, Cinder did in fact feel a sense of pity.

 _There was no other way,_ she thought. Was there ever? Did she ever think of this moment as one where it was going to end peacefully?

Ana fell to her knees, her coughed up blood changed to liquid dust, as she heaved out more and more until it seemed more and more like a regular dust-tuned. She was dying, this she knew. She said nothing though, nor did Ana. Their gazes never met, nor did either of them curse the other. Cinder just stood there silently, as Ana ironically heaved out her lasts breaths in an odd sort of silence of her own before collapsing entirely, the pool of liquid that should have been blood signaling the end of her life as her movements slowed to a halt.

For a moment, she continued to stand there in silence. "We could have been sisters, Ana, had you not blamed me for killing our father." She stepped toward the body of her sister when suddenly a yellow light enveloped her lifeless body before it erupted into a thin pillar of light that seemed to be more like a missile as it dissipated into the blackened, smoke-filled sky. _Seems like the blessing is returning to its origin,_ she thought, turning back her gaze to the body of her fallen stepsister. Her thoughts were blank and so were her emotions. No joy, no satisfaction, no relief, no sadness, no anger—nothing. Absolutely nothing.

* * *

Raven and Qrow arrived back in Haven. The flight back in through the barrier allowed her a glimpse of the Atlesian onslaught against the New Dawn forces. The overbearing assault of a large portion of the Atlesian fleet practically made the battle a guaranteed victory for them. Yet, the prospect of that made her nervous. As she made her landing onto the white-stoned steps of Haven, she transitioned into her human form as her brother did as well. She was torn between heading straight into the battle and staying behind long enough for Yang to awaken to learn this supposed truth from her before heading off. "What do you think, Qrow?"

He looked to the fire and smoke off in the distance. "Let's go see what's been cooking back in the office before we make our decision."

"Sounds reasonable." As such, they walked to Ghira's office. Despite the ongoing battle, the people in Haven all seemed relaxed. Well, as relaxed as can be. The hardlight shield certainly gave them a lot of breathing room. Yet one thing was clear, and that was that everyone was clearly preparing for battle. Moving supplies in and out of their storage, warm-up exercises, drills to refresh battle tactics, logistical officers coordinating where things went and accounting for their removal from said storages—all of it spoke "This is going to get worse before it gets better," which was a healthy mentality to have. If nothing else, it _did_ ease her uneasiness that this seemingly easy victory betrayed something yet to show itself. Like Owain for instance. His destructive power combined with his skill could turn the tide of the battle if Atlas was caught off guard.

They reached the end of the hallway and entered the office. "Did we miss anything?" She said as she entered along with her brother. The only ones present were Ghira, Oscar, Weiss, Percival, Hazel, and surprisingly, Arthur Watts.

"Right on time, Raven," Watts said. "I heard from Oscar here that your attempt at espionage was met with a bit of a setback from what I've heard is a frighteningly powerful adversary."

"We did. Couldn't get anything on Alexis for you unfortunately," she said.

He sighed. "Oh, don't worry about that. I figured it wouldn't be that easy, lest we wonder why this whole issue is well, even an issue. If Alexis wasn't such a slippery bastard, I would have been able to deal with him a _long_ time ago."

"Well hopefully he doesn't spring up at the worst time," Ghira said. He looked over to her and Qrow. "Ruby and Blake went off to fight in the battle to aid the White Fang protect innocent lives. Meanwhile, we're…waiting for things to cool off with Atlas before we take any major actions."

She looked over to Oscar.

"Ironwood rode in fast and hard. Right now, we're going over the key areas that'll likely be the biggest hotspots for retaliation in preparation for the New Dawn's inevitable backlash." Oscar tapped a map with his index finger. The route to the elevators leading to the lower levels, the stairs between each section of the Upper City, and the remains of the governor's mansion."

She raised an eyebrow. "The governor's mansion?"

"Yes, well, as it turns out, despite its destruction, I've been able to spot some major activity going on beneath its foundations. Given what has been discovered about Argus, I'd assume that whatever it is was built recently by the same thing that managed to work Argus the way it did," Watts said.

"It's well fortified. Ironwood called a little while ago mentioning templar designs we haven't seen yet stationed throughout the front as well as its own hardlight barrier," Hazel said.

"Think Owain is there?" Qrow asked.

"No clue. Though I think we should stay on guard. Given what you've said about Albus, it's very possible Owain might show up anywhere. Even here," Oscar said.

"Meanwhile, for some reason, I haven't been able to get approval to send more dust shipments over to Haven _or_ the Atlas military," Weiss said.

"What?" Qrow said in surprise.

"Yeah, I recently made a call simply to get a regular report only to find that someone is stalling the SDC's shipments! No one over there is able to tell me what's been going on save for the fact that a spokesperson from the council says that they will not allow such an important company in Atlas' economy get involved in a major war in another kingdom."

"Sounds like someone might have been interfering with the council," Percival said.

"And Ironwood has no idea what in the world that's about save for the fact that there's been a rising faction in Atlesian politics lately," Weiss said.

"Alexis?" Oscar asked.

"No," Watts said. "He's slippery, but one thing I'm certain of is that he's been putting all of his eggs in Mistral, as it were. He's not involved in Atlas. Not now at least."

"Well, while you guys figure that out, I need to go see Yang. She apparently has something to tell me," She said.

"Like what?" Oscar said.

"Something about the truth about Owain. No idea what it is, but Albus said Yang knew the truth about him and that she'd share it with me. Not gonna lie, I'm anxious about it and want to hurry up and know what it is so I can focus on the war," She said.

Oscar furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin. "Yang…knows the truth about him? Interesting."

"Yeah well, I'll get back to you later." She walked out with a wave goodbye. Though Qrow decided to tag along.

"I've got nothing better to do," Qrow said. "Besides. I'm curious about this whole truth business as much as you are." He looked over to her. "Albus only addressed you, you know."

She sighed. "Yeah. I caught that. Don't know what he's suggesting, but that's what I intend to find out." She quickened her pace. "Come on, let's go. Let's ask around to see which dorm she's in."

* * *

Yang opened her eyes slowly, stretching as she did. She felt _amazing_. Better than she felt in years or perhaps always. She had no idea how long she slept, but she figured _any_ amount of shut eye was bound to make her feel refreshed.

"Get enough rest?" Mom said.

She jerked her head over to her. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

Qrow walked in. "Oh, you're awake. Good. Was wondering how long we'd have to wait. Any longer and I'd have killer anxiety."

She raised an eyebrow. "What? What's going on?" She sat up and let her legs hang off the side of the bed. She looked over to where Jaune's bed was to notice he wasn't there.

"Yeah, Jaune got up not too long ago. Went to get something to eat and to stretch before heading off to aid in the war," Mom said.

"War?" The hell happened since she fell asleep?

"There's currently a battle going on in Upper Mistral. The Atlas fleets came in full force. It's a mess out there and Cinder, Ruby, Blake, and a few others are in the middle of fighting," Qrow said as he pulled up a chair and sat beside Mom.

"And Owain?" She asked.

"I don't know. You tell us," Mom said. She looked worried. "We went on a scouting mission up north and found a spire in the inside of a volcano. Didn't learn much except we met Albus and before sending us off he said you knew the truth and that you'd tell us. Well me, more specifically."

Her eyes widened. "Albus? _Albus_ said that?"

"Yeah, and he didn't exactly say _I_ couldn't hear it, so don't think I'll step out. I'd like to know what's really going on around here."

She looked down, a bit in shock. She made a promise to Nero not to tell anyone, but now she was being told Albus said it was okay. She wasn't sure to be honest. Nero was supposed to be helping them; well, helping Blake, but they were all a team, weren't they? If Albus was okay with it, then why wouldn't Nero be? "What did Albus say to you?"

"Not much. He said a few things that were meant for Weiss, but as for this whole thing about Owain's identity, he said I in particular had a right to know since supposedly the final battle with him was approaching," Mom said.

"Don't forget the part about both you and Yang having a tough decision to make," Qrow said.

"Yeah, don't remind me," Mom said.

She had a right to know? Yeah. That was true. She did, didn't she? She closed her eyes and took a clear, deep breath, and breathed out slowly. "Well, here goes." Where did she even begin? "Owain…he's…" She scratched her head. "Man, this is hard for some reason." Every time she said his name, she felt a sting.

"Well, what is it? Spit it out! How hard can it be? Especially for you?" Mom said.

"It's kinda hard to believe," She retorted.

"You used Jinn, right? Then there's nothing hard to believe," Mom said.

She sighed. "Right. Well. Here's the thing. When I asked Jinn who Owain really was I was greeted with the usual. A vision from Jinn. Long story short, I saw another version of you and Vernal in a very different version of the camp of the Branwen Tribe."

Both of their eyes widened. "You saw _another_ version of Raven and Vernal?" Qrow said.

Mom seemed to take the hint as her eyes transitioned into more of a realization.

"Yeah. That Raven was worried. Specifically, as a mother. Then, I saw him. Well, both of them. I don't know _his_ name, though he was identical to Ruby, and well, was a dude. And…beside him was Owain, but…with lilac eyes. Beside him was me, Mom."

Her eyes wandered as if her thoughts were racing. She stood up and began pacing the room with her arms crossed.

"Yeah, and Jinn mentioned another world specifically." She furrowed her eyes at Mom, waiting for her response. Her eyes wandered over to Qrow who finally took to looking shocked. "They're us, uncle Qrow. That's why they look like us and have the same powers. You can't tell anyone. I made a promise to Nero, to _Blake_ essentially, and I don't want to break it. You two telling anyone counts as me breaking that promise."

"So the dude in the armor with the dust dragon…" Qrow said.

"Yeah. Probably Ruby. Never got his name," She said.

Qrow leaned forward and took a deep breath.

Mom stopped pacing. "That's why he's been so interested in me…"

She leaned forward herself, letting her arms rest over her knees. "Yeah…"

"His armor, his sword, his fighting style, the fact that he hides his face with the mask of a monster? We knew for a while how weird that was. A creep was what I kept thinking of," Mom's voice cracked a little. "But every time I thought about his appearance, I could never shake how weird that was, how unlikely, how…" She let out a tremored sigh. "It's so damn obvious! How did I miss it?"

She solemnly looked down at the ground. "Yeah…"

"Yang," Qrow said. He paused as he looked at her with a serious expression. "What are you going to do about him?"

"I'm going to knock some sense into him, what else?"

He furrowed his brow and sighed. "Yeah…though not sure how possible that is. If and when we win, who's to say Owain won't be executed by Ironwood or someone else with a lot of political pull over in Atlas? Or what's left of Mistral for that matter."

Her face turned stern. "I won't let them." She wouldn't let _anyone_ execute him.

"And what are you going to do, fight them? Yang don't be silly, we're supposed to be stopping this war, not exacerbating it! Look, I understand, I do, I—"

"He's _my_ responsibility. I won't let myself get worse! I don't know what the hell happened to us over there in Shard, but I won't let them—I won't let _him_ become worse than he already is, and I don't intend to let him go scot free either!"

"When you saw me over there…" Mom cut in. She looked over to her with a saddened expression. "What was I like? Was I exactly the same as I was over here?"

She knew what this was about, but unfortunately, she couldn't give her the answer she was looking for, and she wouldn't lie to her either. Her eyes widened. She just remembered something! "A revolutionary army! Jinn said a small boy helped turn the Branwen Tribe into a revolutionary army! For what, I don't know! But maybe that means, you know…"

Mom looked down solemnly with a smile. "I'd like to believe that…I'd like to believe that had I raised you, you wouldn't turn out to be a terrible person."

"It is, Mom. I'm sure Owain will tell you same thing." It was…weird treating him that way. But she felt like it was the truth.

She let out a low laugh. "Maybe I'll ask him…"

Yang got off the bed and stretched. She stretched her arms one by one, then her legs, then her back, gauging every minor sensation she felt. Nothing was particularly different. She _did_ feel rested which was good, but did that mean she'd be ready when she fought her other half in a fight with nothing held back? Possibly to the death? Was she ready to prevent such a thing? Was she ready to overpower him enough to knock him out of that haze of his? She sighed. "Well, I'd rather not sit here and wait around. If there's a battle going on, I'm going to jump right in!"

"Yang. About this whole thing. We really should tell everyon—"

"No," She cut Qrow of. "Just…" she sighed. "Keep it a secret for now. I want to play this safe. And I don't want to break the promise I made to Nero, though I think I already did…" She sighed again. "Just, keep this between us. For now. Please."

Qrow sighed. "Alright. Yeah, I can do that." He looked over to Mom. "Raven?"

There was a pause. "Yeah. Though I'm sure they'll figure it out eventually. If not by themselves, then by how we'll be acting and by what we'll be saying." Mom said as she stretched.

"Mom?"

"I'm going with you. I get the feeling we'll encounter Owain out there somewhere. Maybe at his old mansion. I hear it's well fortified." She said with a smirk. She took in a deep, long breath and breathed out slowly. "Let's go finish this."


	22. Yang's Arc Chapter 20

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Chapter 20 — The Dragon and the Knight**

* * *

"Actually, give me a few minutes." Yang stretched again. Her paranoia that something was wrong compelled her to keep trying to find something; a weird twitch, an odd electrical shock—something, _anything_. "Give me a sec before we head out." Mom was ready to settle this and so was she, but she wanted to make sure everything was okay. She stretched her arms, then her legs, did a few lunges, and shadow-boxed for a few seconds—all while Mom and Qrow stayed put, waiting. Qrow looked out of it; he'd been staring at the ground for a few minutes. "What is it?" She said as she continued to gauge herself.

"Nothing." Qrow leaned forward on the chair letting his arms rest over his knees. "Just…still absorbing everything." He looked over to Mom. "You?"

So far absolutely nothing felt different save for the fact that she just felt…pretty normal. Well, there was _one_ thing.

Mom sighed as she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "Likewise. I've accepted that he's—well _that_ Raven's son, but..." She sighed. "Not hard to believe given all the things we've seen, but still." She looked off to the side. "Then there's Tai. Shouldn't _he_ know about this?"

It was hard to put her finger on it. She felt pretty great, but something was off. It was sort of like something was missing; like a part of her was numb, but like if she couldn't tell it was numb.

Qrow cracked his neck, giving it a rub. "When Owain fought you in Haven a while back, did he recognize Tai at all? Did he give any hint that he did?"

Not at all if she recalled correctly. From what she could tell from Jinn's vision, it probably meant Dad either died when he was too young to remember, or something happened between Dad and Mom over there. Given the fact that Ruby was still born, the second possibility was most likely. _That means we're even more similar,_ she thought. She turned to them. "Let's…not worry him for now. Besides, I still want to keep my promise to Nero. He said not to tell anyone, and I promised him I wouldn't." She felt guilt for telling Mom and Qrow the truth, though she only did so because Albus said it was okay, even though he _did_ technically say, 'tell no one.' Great, now she felt even worse.

"You know, it's not just Owain. The evil Ruby is out there somewhere doing who knows what, and Ruby has a dark passenger inside of her. I think Tai has a right to know what's going on," Qrow said. "As a father…"

"I know, I know," she said. "And I'll tell him when _we_ knowwhat's going on. For all we know, the other Ruby isn't even evil. We don't know what happened to them or what their ultimate goal is, so I'd rather not worry Dad more than we have to. He's already had a lifetime of that."

Qrow sighed. "Alright, fair point I suppose. But promise me you'll tell him the truth the moment you figure it out, alright?"

"I will. I promise." She was sure Nero would understand. As much as she wanted to keep that promise, family was important. She was certain Nero would understand that.

A knock came at the door. "The others request your presence in the headmaster's office." A man's voice said.

"Seems like we were so distracted we missed a few messages," Mom said as she fiddled with her scroll. "They'll be asking about what happened. Either way, let's get going." She pushed herself off the wall and strode toward the door but stopped just short of it. "How you feeling?"

"Great. I feel great." She stretched one last time. "Don't know about my power till I get into the heat of things, but I feel…recovered. No sluggishness, no drowsiness, I feel as light as a feather, etcetera, etcetera." Now if she could only figure out what that odd sensation was.

Mom smirked. "Good. Let's go see what they've come up with."

The trip over to Ghira's office was a quiet one. She was afraid of what was to come. The possibility that she'd be forced to kill him or might accidentally kill him. She couldn't live with herself if she let him die; it was part impulse part worldview. He couldn't be someone like Tyrian, could he? He showed no signs of that. He was obviously a thrill seeker like her, but…angry, constantly enraged for whatever reason—and she felt like it was more complicated than it being a side effect of their power. Then there was Albus and whatever he was doing with the New Dawn behind the scenes, but she had no idea what he was really up to, and she'd like to think figuring that out wouldn't be so easy; that he at least had a good reason for it.

As they continued their way to the office thoughts bounced around in her head and mutated into others. Those damn what ifs! _What if they're lying and they turn out to be really terrible people? What if they were changed somehow by some force in their world?_ What if, what if, what if—it wouldn't stop! It annoyed her and it was giving her anxiety. She tried her best to force out the thoughts, and before she knew it, they had reached Ghira's office. They entered the office where they were greeted with raised eyebrows. "What?" She said.

"Seems you're all right!" Dad said with a relieved smile.

"So what did you all talk about? What did you have to tell them?" Oscar said to her. He was sitting comfortably in Ghira's seat.

Crap. "Oh. I—"

Mom walked to Dad. "Don't worry about it. So what's the plan?"

Qrow scratched his head and sighed, walking over to a cushioned chair and sat in it.

Oscar raised an eyebrow at Qrow. "Oh, well…"

"There is no plan, really," Watts said.

"What?" She said incredulously.

"Well, think about it," Hazel said as he took a step toward the bookcase, before turning to them. "If what Oscar said about Owain is true, then I'm not sure any plan will be good enough."

She furrowed her brow.

Oscar shifted in his seat. "Ruby, Blake, and Cinder, as well as Emerald and Mercury have entered the Upper City. So far, reports say that Atlas has control over the flow of battle, but Owain has made an appearance. And, as everybody expected, he's…well…unstoppable."

She crossed her arms. _No he isn't._ She was worried about the others. Though she knew Ruby and Blake would avoid him. She couldn't say the same for Cinder's group, but it didn't matter. She didn't intend to stay put for long.

"Where is he now?" Mom said. "The remains of the mansion?"

"No. Right now, he's on the second platform of the Upper City, a bit away from the richest side which has already been reduced to rubble by the battle," Watts said. He walked over to Ghira's desk and placed down his scroll, putting up a hologram of a map of Mistral, showing key hotspots all over the city. "The best strategy is to…well…" he stroked his moustache. "Let Atlas pick off the New Dawn and focus our efforts on assassinating the governor."

Her right hand tightened into a fist, though she tried to hide it. "Leave him to me."

"Really?" Oscar said. "Are you ready for him? Didn't you just recover?"

"I did, and I feel great. Better than ever. Literally."

"If Yang feels like she's ready, then I say let her have a chance at him. As much as I trust Ironwood, I would like to be able to lend some assistance, especially where civilians are concerned," Weiss said. She held the hilt of Wiste Rosa, straightening her posture, and turned to her. "Percy and I will ensure no New Dawn forces interfere with your battle." She turned to the others. "The hotspot between the second and third platforms will be ours."

Yang just noticed Percival wasn't in the room with them. She wondered where he was.

Dad smiled. "Well, if Weiss believes in Yang, then I can't let her show me up! Let's leave the governor to her. Meanwhile, I'll take the first platform, closest to the mansion. Could use some backup."

Qrow stood up. "I'll tag along." He looked to Hazel. "Care to join?"

Hazel nodded.

Oscar looked to Mom. "What about you?"

"I'll be joining Yang."

He furrowed his brow. "Are you…sure?"

She looked over to her. "Yeah. Yeah, just in case." She looked back to them. "In the event that I get in the way, then I'll help out whoever needs it. I'm sure Ruby, Blake, and Cinder's group can handle the rest of Mistral where Atlas is not concerned."

She got the feeling Oscar was beginning to get suspicious. Let him. So long as he didn't figure it out and blurt it out to the others. "Well, let's get going!"

Jaune stepped forward. "You know. I promised I'd back you up. My semblance combined with yours? Remember what that did to the dragon?" He smirked. "I'd say it'd give you an ace in the hole."

She forced a smile. "Y-yeah, good idea!" If Jaune tagged along, then he'd certainly figure out the truth. But…she couldn't exactly stop him without causing Oscar—if not the others—to get even more suspicious.

"Is…something wrong?" Jaune asked.

She took a quick glance at Oscar's expression and forced out the concern. "Nah. Just remembered how exhausted you were. Worried me a little." It didn't matter. If Jaune learned the truth, then she would just have him swear to secrecy as well.

He chuckled a little. "I'm fine. Not sure I'm one hundred percent, but I know I'm ready to go!"

This was already starting to get out of hand. Mom, Qrow, and now Jaune was gonna know a truth she wasn't supposed to let anyone know. She'd _really_ have to apologize to Nero later.

Mom turned around and strode toward the exit but stopped just short of it. "So long as you don't slow us down."

"Oh I won't!" Jaune said.

"What about you, Oscar?" Yang asked.

"He's helping me ensure Haven is secure during the remainder of the battle," Ghira said. "We can't be certain the hardlight barrier will hold so we need to be ready just in case. The rest of team JNPR, Sun's team, as well the remaining huntsmen and huntresses here are all on standby in case of an invasion."

"Also, before you go." Oscar got up and handed her a sheet of paper. "I've been trying to recall what left over memories I've had of Ozma to see if I could find anything on Freya, and I didn't come up with much, but…"

She took the sheet and read it over. Besides calling the semblance she used years passed, 'Berserk -Omen-', and him dubbing her "grimm" state 'False Berserk', two things caught her eye: the red electricity being called Destruction Energy and a hypothesis as to how Nero and Blake's power might work which just made her feel even worse. If Oscar was right, then Nero probably already knew she broke her promise. She sighed aloud, though didn't intend to. "This 'Destruction Energy', do you have anything more on that?" She didn't want to accidently kill the guy, so she had to make sure her power wouldn't be more of a problem than a benefit.

"I do believe I might have an idea," Watts cut it. "I don't have much save for the fact that when Oscar here gave me the rundown on what's been going on, I immediately thought of a connection between that strange, uncontrollable state of yours as well as the reddish theme of your new power to the strange reddish energy that comprises the core of grimm."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, it looks sort of like a plasma to me; which is intrinsically electrical to put it simply. In other words, it's _energy_ , and nothing exists without energy. I'm probably wrong about this, but well." He stroked his moustache. "The creatures of grimm are beings of destruction, yet they're mostly darkness. The God of Light could destroy as well, so it's safe to say they're _not_ creatures of destruction _because_ they are made of darkness. If that's the case, then perhaps that red energy that has always made up the core of grimm is this "destruction energy", the thing that gives their darkness form, power, and stability. It would explain why it could possibly induce "grimm-like" behaviors in you."

Oscar stroked his chin. "Yes, you might be on to something there." He looked at her. "It might be that "destruction" is more of a literal force rather than just an abstract concept the God of Darkness took a liking to."

Did that mean there was creation energy? Would Weiss have that? Or Albus?

Watts also turned to her. "Meaning that the idea that the Berserker—and the Gift of Destruction—are said to embody destruction, was literal."

"I'm sorry, but what does any of this have to do with our problem?" Mom cut in.

She turned to her. "Please Mom. This sounds like it could be useful." She furrowed her brow, trying to signal her concerns; the possibility that if she went Berserk—the _real_ Berserk—she might accidently kill Owain. If that was the case, then this was going to be a lot harder than she thought. She turned back to Oscar and Watts. "This energy is dangerous. When Owain used it, it left behind nasty wounds that preventing aura from regenerating. Do you have any idea how I could control it?" That way, she would be able to avoid her little impasse.

"Not that I can think of. I mean, you're asking us to give you a solution to something that—at least for me—is something we're just now discovering. I'll have to somehow study this energy before I could tell you anything," Watts said. "Though now I wish I had pushed Salem to allow me to poke and prod some grimm more often…" He said under his breath.

"We're running out of time," Hazel interjected. "If this can't give Yang a trump card now, then it'll have to wait."

She sighed. "Yeah, you're right." He was. She didn't have time to absolutely guarantee nothing could go remotely wrong.

"Good point. Well, then I'll leave you all to it," Oscar said. "Just make sure you take down the governor. He's too much of a threat to be allowed to escape."

She had to fight the sudden urge to tighten her fist. She sighed. "Alright, will do! Guess that settles it. I'm anxious to get this over with!" She turned around and followed Mom and Jaune out the door. It wasn't just Oscar or Watts…As she left the office—certain no one from inside was watching, she _did_ ball her fist up. _Everyone on our side wants him dead and here I am trying to ensure that doesn't happen._ After this whole thing was over, she'd have a lot of explaining to. All while trying to keep a secret she already failed to keep.

* * *

Ruby swirled into the battlefield from atop the shingles of a cracked rooftop—one of the rare few that weren't completely destroyed. She plummeted through a destroyer, swerved into a spin and sliced through a couple of dust-tuned with the Grimm Reaper as she blasted into another bullet-like swirl through another destroyer. She landed on the ground as the remaining dust-tuned retreated. Letting them escape, she—transforming Full Rose into Rose Petals—ran at a slower, guarded pace down a long set of white-stoned steps further into the Upper City.

The black billowing smoke and flames continued to choke the sky. As she fought through more of the New Dawn's forces, she noticed a clump of strangely metallic constructs similar to Atlesian knights firing into a pile of rubble protecting Mistral citizens. They had no design save for rough geometries that seemed to look like armor. The citizens seemed to notice her. "Please! Miss Rose! Save us!" They screamed. The tears, cries, and shrieks of what seemed to be wealthy people lumped together in a crowd as they faced down their would-be killers pushed her into a rush as the rubble was whittle away too fast for comfort. They called out to her again and again as she shot herself straight to them, though she found herself knocked back into a building. She instinctively leaped out of the rubble—on guard—as she caught the wild smirk of Shan Huang towering over her as the image of innocent people being gunned down through the rubble forced its way into her peripheral.

Their falling bodies, expressions of resignation and disbelief shot their way into her as their eyes went lifeless, their blood soaking the white-stoned ground of a once peaceful city. A familiar sensation arose in her. An anger, a rage that wasn't her own—yet was at the same time—rose in her like the beginnings of a bad storm. She stared Shan down, transforming Full Rose into Rose Thorn.

Shan's smirk widened. "We meet again "legendary huntress!"" He cracked his knuckles as his body crackled with blue lightning.

The anger in her spiked. She found herself unable to speak, unable to respond. She held her throat. _Could it—_

"Wondering why I had these people killed? To keep the peace, why else? Consider it a…what do you call it? Ah! An example! I'm making an example of them! You see, they were abetting the rebels! Can you believe it? These people were the rich and wealthy of Mistral! All they had to do was sit tight and stay quiet!"

 _Forgive me, Ruby…_ That instant was a whirlwind of joy, confusion, fear, and apprehension as she found herself no longer in control. Shan's expression shifted from mockery to confusion as he found himself on the receiving end of Rose Thorn in his abdomen.

He gripped it tightly, coughing up a bit of blood. "Seems I…underestimated you."

"No, you were right about me. However, _I,_ am nowhere near as softhearted as my lightside!" The end of Morgan's sentence was laced with rage as she plunged the lance deeper.

He laughed through the pain and pushed it—and her—out and away as he activated his aura. "I'll believe it when I see it!" His aura erupted with electrical power as his form shifted—ready to ride lightning—as she could only watch and feel as the two of them clashed. A psychopath against her darkside. Her face felt stern, yet it was a sternness that betrayed pure, unbridled bloodlust.

Their clash sent out shockwaves as one—and only one—of Morgan's thoughts dominated her mind.

 _Some people just need to die._

As Morgan leaped backward, she pulled out the Grimm Reaper as she swerved away from Shan's lightning-infused charge, spinning into a retaliatory whirlwind—the blade of the scythe extended out—as she consumed Shan within her semblance-fueled twister as he was nicked here and there from the scythe again and again. She broke the whirlwind above him, diving down with Rose Thorn as he sidestepped it, countering her with a close line that knocked her backward.

Skidding on the ground and reverting to the scythe, she shot herself around him and into a wide swing that he ducked again with his lightning form, appearing above her. Ruby could do nothing but watch her dark half dodge and viciously try to cleave away at the man; her words choking up air as if she was drowning. With every dodge Shan made, he found another wide sweep inching closer and closer to his neck. He was being pushed back; every dodge came with a step backward. His face hardened with anger and concern as sweat poured down his face.

Whenever he blitzed around as lightning, Morgan stayed on him, and she was smiling; she could feel it. As the fight continued, Morgan laced more and more of her dust into the scythe, empowering her sweeps with gravity. As Shan zipped around here and there, he was always met with the wide sweep of the Grim m Reaper. Shan was slightly tugged toward her every time she swung. He was getting increasingly frustrated, his anger was warping more and more into desperation as he fought harder and harder to counterattack, but Morgan never let up. With a vicious sweep here and a violent swing there, she was attacking like a ravenous beast.

 _And that's the difference between me and him,_ she found herself thinking; Morgan's thoughts seeped into her. _He fights because he's a bloodthirsty psychopath, I fight because people like him_ need _to die!_ With that closing thought came a cleave right down Shan's torso as he cried out an angry pain, lurching backward with his aura flickering from the blow. "No words for me Shan?" Morgan yelled. "No more "legendary huntress"? No more smugness?" She readied herself in response to Shan's growling anger. "You're only good at one thing, yet you suck at even that!" She felt Morgan smirk. "What good are _you_ if you can't even kill one huntress?"

The taunt forced Shan into an enraged charge, like lightning with a fist, but Morgan's reflexes pushed her below the blow and into a spin with the scythe sweeping through his gut.

His aura shattered, he stumbled forward, and coughed up blood. He fell over, collapsing onto the ground face first, letting out a gasp of air.

Morgan walked over to him, slowly but confidently. "No one will miss you, Shan. In fact, everyone will be glad you're gone." She held up the scythe, as if ready to reap a field of wheat…or harvest souls. "I'm sure that for as long as you can remember, people have wanted you gone." Shan forced himself to look at her, his blood preventing him from choking up a response. And then that was it. The General of the Mistral Military was no more.

Morgan fell to one knee and heaved tired breath. It was clear she had put her all into that short battle. Ruby tried to think a few words to her, hoping she had calmed down, but she still found herself unable to think to her; she could think to herself, but she knew Morgan couldn't hear her. She felt a darkness overpowering her. It was smothering her, drowning her. It was like a translucent pool she had fallen in if she didn't know how to swim. Morgan stood there, still heaving. The sheer amount of effort Morgan put into that had wreaked havoc on her body and even while drowning in this darkness, she still felt the exhaustion. She had never fought that aggressively before.

Morgan looked up at the sky with a deep breath as she gazed at the Atlesian airships that had full control over the skies of Mistral. They still had complete dominance. The few remaining New Dawn ships were either trapped and stationary or were gunned down. The Mistral airships mostly seemed to be forced to land. Looked like Ironwood didn't want to do direct damage to the Mistral forces. The Atlesian ships still kept firing into the city in controlled, targeted bursts. Their aim clearly focused away from the buildings. Looks like this battle was theirs. At this rate, there was no way the New Dawn or the Mistral Military could do anything about it. All that was left was Owain and that was it. That name…with it came a thought that the both of them shared. _Yang will beat him_.

Then came a familiar crackling roar that was almost too far away to hear as Morgan looked off in the distance in the sky. A streak of blue crashed through an airship, blowing it to pieces, as the blue streak—now a dust dragon—blazed through the air with a breath of lightning that tore apart two more airships.

The fleet opened fire, but none of their bullets and missiles were fast enough to land a hit as the dragon ruled the sky with trails of blue thorns. _Thorns? His_ semblance! It must be! She tried to tell Morgan, but Morgan already knew. The Warrior was enhancing the dragon with his semblance, like she did several times with her friends. Luckily, Morgan didn't try to approach it and simply stood her ground, though she did take a few steps back, feeling a sensation she actually agreed with. Fear. They weren't ready. Ruby could only watch through Morgan's eyes as her strange doppelganger tore through the Atlesian fleet at an ungodly speed that far transcended their own. They were helpless.

The sky wept debris from the world's strongest military. The heaps of metal and dust rained down over Mistral—unexploded dust wreaking more havoc on the already shattered city. The dust dragon roared and roared as it soared through the sky, searching, clearly searching for something as she made out the knightly appearance of the Warrior. Perhaps searching for her. _Morgan!_ She tried to say, but the words didn't come out. She tried again and with every attempt, she found herself mouthing a few more letters until finally, _MORGAN!_

The sudden internal yell snapped her out of her fearful haze. _We have to run! If he's looking for us, we can't let him find us!_ Morgan trembled. It was a mix of frustration and fear. "What am I supposed to do? Let him tear our friends and allies apart?" They weren't ready to face something like that! Not yet. If they went and fought him now, they'd die for nothing and their comrades would die anyway! They just had to retreat for now and hope for the best.

Morgan capitulated, sheathing the scythe and stowing it on her lower back as she leaped off the building, and ran under the cover of the smoke and flames toward Haven, swerving over, under, and around the rain that used to be whole airships. _Morgan…_ a few seconds passed before she read the intent as Ruby found herself in control again. _It's good to have you back,_ she thought, though she had no time for joy.

Morgan didn't respond as Ruby kept sprinting under the cover of smoke and flame, relying on her memory to make it back to Haven, hoping the Warrior wouldn't notice her. At the very least, if he did or he went after Haven, they could make their stand there, though she hoped he would leave. Maybe get bored or something. _Hey Morgan. Are you alright?_ She thought, continuing her quick sprint.

 _I'm fine._ Morgan's thoughts felt like she had an attitude. _What's wrong?_ She thought back. _You were drowning me,_ Morgan replied. _What? How?_ She thought in shock. She recalled how she felt, how she seemed to be choking when Morgan took over. It couldn't be the same, could it? She wasn't exactly in a super-positive state of mind, so how could it be? _It's more than that. We're more lightsided than not as a whole. I think…I think that simply because we weren't…fighting, I was being suffocated. I don't know._

 _Either way, I didn't mean to, and I'll try not to do it again,_ she thought as she recognized the hardlight barrier surrounding Haven. She waved at the guard maintaining its entrance. _Whatever causes that to happen, we'll figure out together. Promise._ Morgan seemed to sigh in her thoughts. _Hope you mean it._ Of course she did! She knew that already. The guard acknowledged her and opened a passage through the barrier, letting her in. She sprinted toward the headmasters' office to notice Ghira, Watts, and Oscar standing outside in the front. "Did you guys see him?" She yelled to them as she closed the remaining distance, stopping just short of them.

"We did," Oscar said. "Seems like the Warrior has finally made his appearance, and—"

"Demonstrated that—at the very least—Atlas is not equipped to deal with him," Watts said.

"Do you think we're ready in case he attacks Haven?" She asked.

Oscar furrowed his brow, keeping his gaze on the dust dragon still swooping through the air, breathing out blasts of lightning here and there throughout the Upper City. "I…don't think so. That dust dragon alone is quite the threat. Then there's the Warrior we'd have to contend with."

"Which makes it interesting as to why he hasn't barreled down on top of Haven already," Watts said.

"The good news is that it's flying away from where the others said they'd be. Though I'm not too sure about Blake," Ghira said solemnly.

She looked up to the dragon. "She'll be fine." It wasn't just meant to be comforting. She believed it. She didn't see Blake dying so easily. "By the way, Shan is dead."

Oscar turned to her in surprise. "Really?"

She nodded. "Morgan's finally back and well." She scratched her head. "Let's just say she did her part."

* * *

Cinder heaved out a heavy breath amidst the burning rubble of a city. _He_ was alone, thankfully. Em and Merc joined her at her side, both of them equally in fear at who was right in front of them, striding into the battlefield as if he had not a care in the world. Owain Helios with blade kept neatly in its scabbard had made his appearance.

"What do we do?" Em asked.

"Think we fight him!" Merc said. "Or we could run. What will it be, Cinder?"

"I felt my "blessing" return to me not too long after Albus transported me into the field. I take it Anastasia has fallen, then? Was it your doing?"

"Yes," Cinder said, standing her ground. The images of her final trial flashed in her mind. The images of her constant inability to overcome a mere shade of him played over and over again at what seemed the speed of light as the battlefield went quiet with only the smell and sight of fire and blood to paint the field.

Owain tilted his head. "It seemed that the two of you have history together. And…your aura…it reeks of my brother's, yet it has…a contrast to it."

"Your brother?" She asked. Could he be talking about the current Warrior? At least besides Ruby.

"No. No, this is not my brother's aura. It's familiar, yet distinct." He sighed. He seemed to gaze at her. She couldn't tell through his helmet. "It couldn't be…I knew you looked familiar!" He let out a low chuckle. "What a strange turn of events this is. Regardless! Ready yourself." Owain gripped the hilt of his blade and transitioned into a fighting stance. "I must litter this forsaken ground with the blood of my enemies. You understand…creature of darkness." Owain looked up as did she at the chaos in the skies caused by the sudden arrival of a dust dragon. "Speak of the devil. Perhaps, he'd be glad to see you, and be your saving grace."

"What?" She said, confused by his words. Though she realized _the_ Warrior had arrived. _Oh no._ Before she even had the chance to think of what to do, she found herself reeling away of a downward stroke, though she was kicked in her gut. Using her flames, she mitigated the knockback.

"Cinder!" Em yelled. A mass of wind seemed to blow right past her as the image of Owain appeared right behind Em.

Her eyes widened as Owain's blade plunged right through her gut. She gasped for air as he put a boot to her back to pull out the blade.

"Pathetic." Owain said as Em collapsed. "A warrior should always keep their guard up." He said with a condescending tone.

"Em!" She roared. Her body _urged_ her forward yet also urged her to run away from a fight she knew she had no chance of winning.

Merc tried to step close enough to quickly save Em, but he was buffeted away like a fly by the man's blade, though he sustained little damage.

No. No, she _could_ win this! With her darkness! It excelled at fighting against aura and dust! She could beat him!

"You wish to save the girl?" Owain said, stepping over her fallen body as she continued to gasp for air. "Then end me. No fear, no caution, no tactics—come at me with nothing but pure skill, strength, and tenacity!"

She gritted her teeth. _Think, Cinder, THINK!_ How was she going to do this. She had a chance, but she had to be smart about it. Hurting him only made him more powerful, and she doubted she had the power to kill in a single blow. That, and he could regenerate.

He continued his stride toward them, blade held off to the side as if he was about to drop it. His stride forced them back—step by step. "I am not invincible. I am but a man forged in the heat of battle and revolution. Even a fly could kill me if it tried hard enough."

Her mind raced with flashes of her death, of Em's death, of Merc's death as the both of them kept taking steps back, guarded, ready for anything. Her mind refused to calm and to formulate a plan—any plan at all. _Come on, come on! Anything!_

Em's breath steadied as she held her wound, content on staying on the ground. She didn't look like she was at death's door, but she looked close to it. Cinder turned her focus back to Owain who continued to encroach upon them step by step. His arrogance was the only thing keeping them alive.

"I'll give you ten seconds to muster up a response, or I'll cut you down," Owain said.

Whatever strategy she could've come up with would never come to be as she found herself charging Owain, following Merc's sudden rush at him. She summoned her darkened flames into a blade as she clashed with Owain—blackened blade against a blade cloaked in red energy—as Owain with only one hand, overpowered her as Merc streaked through the air with a flaming kick. The hell kind of energy could repel her darkness? She looked at the clashing of energy and they seemed to mix. They didn't repel each other so much as they had no effect. This changed things. Forget killing him in one blow. She had to hit him, first!

Owain batted her away as he spun around and parried Merc's kick. Merc furiously spun around into a round house kick that was backed up with a dust blast as he pivoted into another kick with his other leg, backed up by another blast. Merc broke into a fury of kicks and blasts—different from his usual combo; it was more mobile, more direct, less involved. Each blast and kick was either dodged or parried as Merc never let up; his face focused yet desperate at the same time.

She rushed toward his blind spot, confident the noise she made would alert him as he expectedly batted Merc away again and followed up with a downward stroke at her. She stood her ground and blocked the blow with the darkened blade which cracked on impact. Her arms and legs buckled as she collapsed to one knee with the blocked blow still damaging her aura through sheer force alone.

He kept his blade pinned on hers as hers remained intact. He pushed down with one hand as Merc—with a spinning roundhouse kick infused with earth dust, and with a loud roar—crashed into the side of his head, causing him to stumble a bit, giving her time to leap away and glide over to Em, only to stop right in front of her, keeping her attention focused on Owain.

Owain brought his blade back. Merc jumped back to safety as the man's hair erupted into flames. "That was a terrible idea."

 _You're joking!_ She knew what was coming. Her eyes widened as she braced for an impact that would most likely kill her. Merc leaped in with a thundering roar with every bit of strength behind his flying kick. Owain brought the blade down and swerved to the side, meeting up with Merc's blind spot as he made a horizontal cut through his lower spine. A bloodcurdling yell erupted from him as he fell onto the ground. The yell warped into heaves of pain and screams and restrained grunts.

The Berserker stood over him, looking down at him through the blackened sockets of his helmet, letting the wind blow through his air. His guard was completely dropped. He was completely exposed. He had not a single care for any attack made against him. Was this strength? Or was it lunacy? Her anger, worry, and fear were mixed in with the words from the shade. The shade that defined strength. She clenched her fists, pushed back her fear, let her anger writhe, as she stood defiantly. "Do your worst, you piece of garbage! But do it on me!" The darkness of her flames faded. Protective emotions didn't suit the darkness well, did it? So be it.

His head slowly turned to her. There was a pause. A _long_ pause. He made no moves against Merc as he continued to try and hold back his screaming with writhing grunts. Then, after what seemed to be like an eternity, he politely stepped over Merc toward her. "If that is what you wish."

She gritted her teeth, tightened the clenching of her fists, as Em choked out a simple gasp, "No, don't. Get…out of here."

She glanced back at Em and then back forward, standing her ground. "I won't run. I never did; Ruby? Raven? I always got the crap beat out of me to the point of nearly dying many times throughout my life, and this is not gonna be any different. I'll survive. I'll find a way." She furrowed her brow and bared her teeth. "No matter what you throw at me, I'll push through it! That's just how arrogant I am!"

He stopped in place.

 _You have a terrible "poker face",_ she expected him to say, though those words never came. Instead, she only heard Em force out a "About time…" as her eyes widened, turning to face behind her as Yang, Raven, and Jaune stood right there, just a few feet away. A wave of relief washed over her as her strength seemed to wane in their presence.

* * *

 _Finally,_ Yang thought. She scanned the battlefield. To think things got this bad. That they failed to stop the war from happening. All because of _him_. The only part of the place that was intact was the mountainside this platform was next to. Every building was on fire, the white stones that made up the ground were covered in blood, debris, and ash, and her "brother" finally showed himself. And there _he_ was, right in front of her, and only a few meters away. This was the first time she was seeing him after finding out the truth and for a split second, she wanted to break down into tears as she looked at him. _How could you?_ She wanted to say. _How could we end up like this?_ But she said nothing. Instead, she gave him the most judgmental glare she ever gave anyone. "Go see to Mercury. Emerald will be fine."

"I gotcha," Jaune said. She glanced back at him as he kneeled beside her and activated his semblance.

Cinder nodded and swerved around Owain to Mercury. She helped him up, putting his arm around her neck, and backed away. She turned to Yang. "Make sure you win!" She then fled.

"Hey Jaune, could you carry Emerald away from here and heal her up some place safe, just in case?"

"Gotcha!" He said.

"I'll be fine," Emerald said in a strained voice. "If you cleared—" she grunted in pain. "Everything in the area, I can catch up to Cinder—" she grunted again. "And Mercury by myself."

Damn it! "R-right!"

Emerald stumbled to her feet slowly as Jaune's semblance did as much as it could before she regained her composure. After a few seconds, she walked right passed Owain, though she gave him plenty of space. He didn't once take his eyes off her; she made sure to keep up her glare. He didn't even seem to care that Emerald was walking away. She wanted to believe that was a good sign.

Mom stepped beside her. "Sorry, Yang, but there's no avoiding it with Jaune here. I'm sure you already know that. And I…I need to say my piece."

She clenched her fist. "Yeah. Go ahead."

"What are you two talking about?" Jaune asked.

"Just wait." She said. She slightly turned to him, unable to hide her sadness and anger. "You're about to find out." She faced back forward. "Just…don't tell anyone."

Mom stepped forward again, closer to Owain. "…Would she be proud? Seeing you like this?"

"Does it matter?" Owain said.

"It does matter! You're supposed to be better than me! Not, not…"

Owain's head tilted upwards towards the sky. "Ah…" He looked back down to her. "No, she wouldn't."

Mom furrowed her brow, gritted her teeth, and clenched her fists. She looked ready to deck him across the face.

"You're concerned. You are under the impression that you had a hand in my so called "fall from grace", but I can assure you my will is my own. This was my choice, and…"

Her furrow deepened… "And?"

"This is between me and me, if you will. As fond as I am of you, you don't belong here."

She let out a hypocritical laugh. "Don't belong? That's a load of crap! My son's a monster, and you're telling me I don't _belong_?" She stepped even closer to him. "Look how powerful you are! What excuse do you have to be like this? You're not a coward, you're not struggling to survive! So what excuse could you possibly have?"

"Responsibility. I spoke of this back at the mansion. Sometimes people grow up. And when they do, they change. As a warrior—as a _fighter_ —who put everything I had into protecting those dear to me, why wouldn't I do whatever it took? Even if it meant sacrificing everything that I am in the process. Being kind and docile to my enemies is not in my nature." He looked over to Yang. "Isn't that right? I'm _certain_ that you've killed your enemies in the past. The motivation was the same. "There was no other way. They would never stop." The confidence of our enemies begets stupidity and futility; thus we are _forced_ to be vicious and violent! The circumstances here are merely different, but the end result is exactly the same. Humanity's nature dictates that fact."

"That's no excuse for what you've done! I'll prove to you there _is_ another way." She stepped toward him as well. She got into a fighting stance. "I'll beat you till you can finally see straight, then I'll _show_ you. Whatever happens to us, I'll prove to you that I won't need to sacrifice who I am!" She didn't want to debate him, and she couldn't think of anything else, any other idea, so she tried to appeal to his sense of honor, something she knew he still had. "If I beat you fair and square, then you agree to stop this garbage, and snap out of it! Agreed?"

He paused. "So this is how you wish to settle it? Interesting. And what do I get if _I_ win?"

She furrowed her brow. "I'll join you."

Mom jerked her head over to her in shock.

"Yang, what?" Jaune said.

"Ha!" Owain barked. "You're joking."

"No, I'm not. You _know_ I'm not." She couldn't think of any other way, here in the midst of a battle, here in the face of an enemy that wasn't going to be let go. _Besides, this is only the beginning._ She thought as she tightened her fighting stance. "So let's do this!" If she joined him, she'd fix him while fighting by his side. And the others too. "Just you and me!" That was her responsibility. To look out after her friends, her team, her family. It always was. It always will be. This was no different.

Owain didn't respond. He stood there in silence, unmoving. Then, finally, "I accept."

"Stand back Mom, Jaune. As much as I could use your help…" This was it. A one on one. A duel that _wasn't_ to the death. It was just another way for them to argue. The only way they _could_ argue right now.

"Yang, this—" Mom clenched her teeth and fists. She trembled angrily. " _Fine!_ This is reckless and crazy and _stupid_ , but…I understand." She stepped back.

"This whole thing is confusing me, but based on what I just heard, I…think I understand. Back in the dorm, I was wondering why you were so upset, and now I guess I know why," Jaune said. "Just don't lose, Yang!" He chuckled. "It'd be weird to see you on the enemy side." He stepped back alongside Mom as the both of them stood off in the far corner of the battleground with their backs against the mountainside, still within view but far enough away Owain and her could easily avoid them.

She faced Owain again, still holding her stance; her fists up—guarding her face—her legs the right distance apart and her gauntlets extended. She was ready. "Don't hold back!"

Owain nodded. He jammed two dust cartridges into his hilt and pulled the trigger. Lone Talon's blade became coated in plasma. He charged. She ducked beneath a horizontal slash as he transitioned into a downward cut. She sidestepped it. He swung again and again and again—each stroke increasing in speed and power until he was practically an unstoppable wall of swords that she was forced to dodge. But she held her ground. She never took a step back. With every swing, she either stepped to his sides or simply dodged in place. With the last swing, she pulled back her left foot, letting the blade crash into the ground. Owain stepped backward for an overhead swing and let it loose right over her head.

 _Time to start off strong!_ She planted her left foot in front, raised her left arm, and caught the blade in her hand. She stood her ground. Her arms didn't buckle, but the shockwave did do damage, enough to shatter her aura. Her hair lit aflame. With a roar, she pulled him in and kneed him as hard as she could right in the belly, letting go of the blade.

Owain was thrown into a skid. He stopped himself as if commanding the force to go away. Yang cracked her neck, spun her shoulders, and got back into a fighting stance, hopping in place. She took a deep breath as she tried to activate that _other_ part of her semblance that partly marked her the Berserker and it _worked_! She felt her aura regenerate! She tightened her fighting stance as Owain's hair lit aflame as he brought Lone Talon back and swung it at her, sending out an air-ripping blast that shattered her aura.

She smirked. _Time to finally try that myself!_ She activated her regeneration again as she brought her fist back and—to the best of her ability—copied him by sending out her own ripping blast which he sidestepped. He charged her. She charged as well, meeting him head on as they clashed—blow for blow. Every punch she threw, every kick she made, he countered with a parry and a follow up stroke; they were methodical, precise, overpowering. His swings looked exhausting. He didn't slow them down. He seemed to put all of his strength into each attack.

With every combo of jabs, uppercuts, knees, spin kicks, side kicks, and punches, she noted the singular nature of his style. He didn't make excessive attacks, he simply made single attacks with intent. She parried his blade off to the side, slowing herself to a halt as he oddly ceased his attack. She shot him a smirk. "One slash, one kill, right?" She got back into her stance. So he made Mom's style his own, then. "So you were still messing with me back at the mansion?"

He chuckled. "I suppose I was." Owain reached for his lower back with his right hand and tossed two dust cartridges at her as he blazed at her. He activated the dust and the cartridges exploded into a lightning-infused twister that buffeted her into the air as she took a direct hit from one of his downward strokes that sent her crashing into the ground below. She growled out an angry pain as she trembled violently as red electricity crackled around her body. It was what Oscar called 'False Berserk'. That familiar haze began to take hold. This time, she just _let it_ without any pushback. She knew he could take it.

She blitzed across the field with a roar, shoulder-tackling him as she nabbed his forearms—blade still in hand—transitioning into a suplex straight into the ground. He erupted red energy that consumed her as she felt a spike in power and calmness that faded as she leered backwards. She checked herself over only to catch glimpses of what was destruction energy fade from her arms. She faced forward, returning her focus to him. _I was close to it, I know it!_ But how did he use destruction energy without being berserked? She looked him up and down as he slowly stood up. His hair was normal. "Hey! How did you do that? I thought we had to be berserked to use that!"

Owain punched his neck a little, as if trying to get rid of a crick. "I did say your semblance was depressingly undeveloped. As for how? Well, think of it as one of the benefits of being raised in a pack. For most of my career as a fighter, I've relied on my semblance. Every battle, every skirmish, every victory, and every defeat I've brought it out, refined it, expanded it. I take it you didn't have that luxury, did you?"

No, she didn't. It made sense. He never lost his arm, she did. She started to use her semblance more cautiously precisely _because_ she lost an arm. But if she never did…she gritted her teeth. _What more can he do with our semblance?_ She reentered her fighting stance. She noticed something. His emotions. Well, _emotion_. He only had one at the moment, and it was bloodlust. There was no fear, no anger, no worry, no elation— _nothing_. So why didn't he act like it? Why was he being so polite as to give her breathing room and time to think?

"Let's continue, shall we?" Owain tossed two more dust cartridges that exploded before she could react, as an implosion of fire pulled her in. _Gravity and fire dust?_ She thought in a rush of desperation as Owain sliced through the implosion as she raised her right arm up in time to block the slash which sent her skidding across the ground. She recovered her footing and punched out a blast toward his rush. It stopped him in his tracks as violent red electricity crackled around him as well. He finally entered False Berserk.

Seeing it made her realize she was aware and in control. She did feel the rush of blood and the desire to destroy, but it seemed held back somehow. Though the strange numbness she felt earlier spiked in its noticeability. She focused on him. Focused, and waited. He took a slow step forward. Then, with an ungodly amount of force, charged at her—tearing the ground he glided across—as she ducked beneath a horizontal cut coated in destruction energy. The very force of the swing itself felt like it summoned thunder. She tried to knee him away, but he tanked it, bringing up his blade into an uppercut as she sidestepped it—hooking him in the face while he brought his blade around for a downward stroke that she once again sidestepped, crashing her fist into the other side of his face.

His helmet shattered, the bits of metal falling to the ground as though his speed slowed, the strength behind every attack was absolutely fatal. She began to sweat. _That's right._ Somehow, she figured Owain would be able to resist it, but what reason would he have to learn how to do that? She sidestepped another titanic stroke, smashing her fist into his chest. He didn't have the motivation to! She dodged three more lethal swings back to back, crashing a fist into him each time. She didn't have time for this. She couldn't keep dodging like this. Every time she landed a hit, he just took it and it only made him stronger! She dodged and dodged and dodged—each swing of his carrying a terrifying amount of power.

She stood her ground, prepping herself for another dodge as Owain brought back his blade for a wide sweep at a distance. She glanced over to Jaune as an idea suddenly forced itself into her mind. _Could I…supercharge myself?_ If she could regenerate, then why couldn't she do that? She pushed back her fear, her worry, focused on her semblance, her _aura_. As Owain made the swing, she took a deep breath as the hurricane of force barreled its way toward her, ripping the ground asunder. _Come on! COME ON!_ She felt a rush of electricity flow through her. At the last moment, the _very_ last moment, she experienced a hint of terror, fearful it wouldn't work.

She took the blow. It came with an overflowing surge of power, as if her semblance just reached a breaking point. The red electricity calmed, _she_ calmed. Her whole body felt numb. In the last minute of preparations, she ended up afraid of triggering this state. One wrong move and he'd end up dead. Oddly, she wasn't concerned about it. Not emotionally anyways. She took a deep breath. She stared him down, gauging his emotions. She had a clear head, no longer having the desire to destroy, but she could still sense negative emotions. Negative intentions. It was the perfect ability to have for someone like her. Yet, as she gauged Owain—even when in that vicious state of theirs—he still only had his routine bloodlust. Nothing more. She at _least_ felt rage, but with him it was literally nothing.

Owain stood there, fearless, keeping his eyes on her without a single expression. He didn't even have his guard up. She—however—did get into a stance. _Not too much. Hold back._ She kept repeating those words in her head as she rushed him. She glided across the ground—and despite the surge of power she had—she didn't so much as blow away a speck of dust as she closed the distance between them in an instant. He sidestepped her punch, swung his blade up at her which she merely caught, pulled him in and decked him in the face as he was launched backward like a low meteor into the ground, leaving a long depression in his wake. She felt no fear, but expressed it in her thoughts, though those thoughts faded at the side of his aura regenerating.

He rushed her again, this time with fervor as he assaulted her with a furious combo of swings—each one bearing his original speed and strength. Not risking it, she dodged each one, nicking him here and there with a jab, a roundhouse kick, a backhand, and a hook, as she herself took a few hits though they felt like nothing but nourishment. As they continued their exchange, she noticed his style becoming more refined. His movements became more tactical. He parried into strikes, he feinted into different slashes, he dodged into counters. He was fighting defensively, and it was working. Despite being berserked, she was struggling to even get minor hits on him.

Then, he stopped in place as she crashed her fist into his chest, shattering his armor, as he took it in stride, skidding on the ground, coughing up large amounts of blood. "Owain!" She yelled, worried that she might have done too much, though that worry was crushed at the sight of his hair flowing like it was blowing in an ethereal wind as it turned into pure energy. The violent red electricity calmed. He gingerly brought his sword up and lazily swung it upwards at her. A small stream of force cavitated a portion of the ground like butter a few inches from where she stood. "Yang. If you intend to defeat me, you'll have to try and kill me. Anything less than that and you'll be fighting by my side. Holding back as you are now will in no way bring you the victory you desire."

She furrowed her brow and returned to her fighting stance. They couldn't fight like this; not _them_. She had to end it now. With a blow powerful enough to end the fight, but not powerful enough to kill him. She couldn't listen to his advice. She'd find another way. If she couldn't, then she had no right to win, because she wouldn't be able to prove him wrong about his ideology. This was it. She had to force the battle here. "I'll do whatever the hell I want," she said. He gave no reply.

They both stood their ground. He was waiting for her. Like a chess match, he seemed to give her the first turn. Despite her worries, they carried with them no emotional weight. It was as if they were pure thought. Her anger, her frustration, her worries, her desires—they were all pure thought. All she had to do was find an opening, just a single one. Despite his bloodlust, he didn't seem intent on killing her, and she intended to take full advantage of that.

This was the moment she dreaded, she wanted, she waited for. No more waiting, worrying, hoping, dreading, or confusion. This battle was about to end, and she _would_ win! She thought about how their lives could be. As brother and sister. Owain trying to redeem himself. Them eating together, them training together, playing games together, doing jobs together. Him, her, Ruby, Mom, Dad, and Qrow could do so much together! She wanted that. It was a strange thought to have now of all times, but she found herself longing for that. Of what could be. And all she had to do was win.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Whew! FINALLY! For anyone wondering why this took so long. A) This was originally one MASSIVE chapter that I ended up splitting into two so the second part of this chapter will be coming much sooner than my regular posting schedule. B) As it turns out, adhering to a tight schedule was giving me burnout, robbing me of my desire to write so I confess to taking a short break to get my thoughts together and reinvigorate myself, and man did that help a lot! Anyways! Hope you all enjoy! Any comments are always welcome!

Also, side note: Wiste Rosa comes from Wisteria and Rose (of course). Just thought I'd get that out there.


	23. Yang's Arc Finale

**Awakening the Dragon**

 **Finale – The Berserker**

* * *

To win, she needed to find a weak point. Whether they were equal or not didn't matter; both possibilities meant she _had_ to find a weak spot, a fatal flaw—something. Their fighting styles were different, so she hinged her hope on that. But first, she needed to get used to Berserk and to figure out the gap between them. _Time to feel him out!_

Yang blitzed him. He sidestepped into a horizontal slash that she leaned away from. She stepped forward into a punch that he parried into a diagonal cut which she sidestepped as she leaped away with an ease that almost felt like flight. It was as if she was weightless. _His reflexes match mine. That's good._ She'd expected him to be faster.

She glided past him with a fist in an instant that he sidestepped as fast as she came, thrusting his blade at her which she grabb— _boom!_ She was repelled backwards—as was Owain—with a violent shockwave that seemed to quake the air with a red energy. She shook her hand as if trying to relieve a shock of pain. _Good to know what happens when our powers collide,_ she thought. It partly explained why he was parrying and dodging so much; at first, she thought it was because her destructive power was just that dangerous.

She strafed to the side while he stayed in place unmoving, like a statue, keeping his gaze focused on hers. His expression was blank, and his hair seemed to flow in an ethereal wind. His blade was held out in front with both hands firmly holding the hilt; he was more guarded than she had ever seen him. His stance was tight and serious, indicating that he was putting his all into this fight. It was both good and bad. She continued strafing. It meant that finding a weak spot was going to be difficult, but since he was also being cautious, she had more chances to find out what that weak spot was.

Well, if she knew herself well enough, she'd realize that taking her sweet time would only motivate him to get more aggressive. With that acknowledgement she barreled toward him into a flying punch that he sidestepped as he brought down Lone Talon. She let it hit the ground as she threw a left jab, a right hook, a side kick, roundhouse kick, and a spinning roundhouse kick—all in what seemed to be an instant as Owain parried or dodged them all in the same timespan.

Owain's brow furrowed as he charged her. His downward stroke vanished into a side slice that she backed away from, though she was met with a knee to the stomach that sent her skidding across the ground as she found him already above her, stabbing his blade into the ground—an attack meant for her gut—as he tore through it, leaving a gash in the platform. She backed away, not feeling even a little bit of fear as he continued his relentless attack; he swung, swung, and swung like an elegant yet vicious storm of swords—each swing having seemingly lost the strength it once had. She found herself approaching a leftover wall and blasted herself away from it with her gauntlet as he obliterated it with only a tap of his sword.

She recalled his words, the differences of their past. He was her and she was him, yet there was a distinct difference between them; _she_ learned how to fight smart. She wondered if he somehow discovered how to do that despite his body being whole. He stood there, waiting for her to make the next move. And so, she charged him. She charged him not to find a weak spot anymore, but to learn more about him.

Their exchange strangely made her slip away. She fell into a haze; it was a strange haze where she was aware but had little control. Amidst the flurry of fists, kicks, and swings she found herself smiling again, though he didn't. And she did learn something. He was pure skill. No, no he was pure experience. Whether it be because their souls resonated or that she simply knew herself that well, she learned that he wasn't thinking at all. He was just a force. Reflexes, instincts, training, his victories, his defeats—he was just a mass of experience.

 _Owain…_ she thought. As they struggled in what seemed to be a stalemate lost within a hazy battlefield where time seemed to slow to a stop, she found herself able to think on what could've been. _How much have you fought over the years?_ She thought of a life in the Branwen Tribe. _How much have you struggled?_ She thought of herself fighting side by side with Mom. _How much have you overcome?_

They clashed and clashed and the only thing she saw was him. The battlefield disappeared, the shouts from Mom and Jaune, the sounds of explosions, shattering stone, collapsing mountain sides, the crackling of fire, and the choking smell of black smoke all faded away where it was only her and her. Every swing of his revealed himself; they were perfect. Timed right, just the right amount of force, perfect form—yet there was never any thought. As they whirled around each other like vicious dervishes, she learned something else. He wasn't anger, he wasn't wrath, or monstrosity, or cruelty. He was emptiness. Every time they collided, they were torn away from each other like repelling magnets, and every time she felt a sliver of a connection with him that revealed that he was just a fighter.

In an opportune moment, she found a moment to slow the flow of battle by shouting his name. "Owain!" She hoped to slow his attack and it worked. He stopped in place. How was she able to feel that? No. It wasn't that she felt it, but rather she felt like something was supposed to be there but wasn't. That, that was the key difference between them. Not his experience, but their emotions. She fought with anger, with rage, with fear, with worry, with happiness—she fought with feeling. She fought like she was alive. And that's why she'd win.

"It's pointless to continue like this! So, let's end this!" Maybe she really did resonate with him. Aura was strange like that, and her case was a little exception, wasn't it? How many people fought with their literal doppelgangers? She took a deep breath. She got into a fighting stance, pulling back her right arm into a punch she was prepping to charge with. "I'll show you that no matter how dark the world gets, I _will_ protect our family, our friends— _without_ sacrificing who I am!" The destruction energy flowed around her right arm, as if reading her intent. _Just the right moment, no sooner, no less._

He sheathed his sword. "…Understood." His center of gravity lowered. He raised his sheath higher, ready for a swing. He said nothing more. He stared at her, waiting for the final moment. His face was expressionless, and it was almost as if he was looking past her, or through her. Was it experience? Or was it their power? She tightened her stance, checked for any openings, corrected herself, and focused more of her power into her fist. _If I fought and fought, would I be just like you?_ _I need to know, so I know how to save you._ It was a thought thrown out into the universe, hoping that somehow, he'd know.

And just like that, they charged each other. In the final moment, she targeted Lone Talon and struck the blade, letting both coats of destruction energy collide as she—in that instant—forced passed the repulsion. The result obliterated her prosthetic and the rest of her right arm as well as Lone Talon's blade. She flew backwards like a bullet shot out of a cannon, the destruction energy dissipated the moment it touched her body as if unable to harm its creator as she streaked into the rubble of the battlefield. She didn't know how far she landed, but she stopped moving eventually. The calm storm of electricity faded as she stood up and immediately collapsed face first and what seemed to be a dam of held back sensation broke, unleashing everything that had been behind it.

" _Yang!"_ She heard Mom and Jaune scream.

"We can't get to her!" Jaune said in the distance. "There's a chasm in the way! It's too wide!"

She crawled toward where they collided, crawling toward _him_ , trying her best to ignore the craze that was her nervous system right now. Torn muscles, throbbing all over, and a whole lot of worry. A haze of dust cloaked the battleground as she forced out more aura to stop the bleeding; the numbness from earlier seem to engulf her right side. Did he make it? He must have if she did.

"Then jump!" Mom yelled. "You know how to do that, don't you? Just put a whole lot of aura into it!"

She crawled and crawled until eventually she came across a pair of blackened sabatons. She tried to look up as high as she could, but her neck would only allow so much movement. Then, the pair of boots collapsed, revealing a tattered Owain. His armor almost completely shattered, leaving half his bare torso exposed. A good portion of his face was bleeding and was filled with deep, glowing, red cuts that didn't seem to scream blood, but he was intact. _His_ right arm—the one that held the blade—had also been obliterated. If only she could laugh. _Another thing in common, then._

"Yang!" Mom yelled, her voice much closer than before.

She crawled up beside him and forced herself with great pain to turn on her back. _No, not yet! GET UP!_ She tried to force out every last bit of strength she had, and her body responded. More red electricity crackled forth, giving her enough of a surge to get her up on two feet. She looked over him and his wounded body. Odd. She thought that at this point at the very least, she should be experiencing terrible burning in her veins, but there was only the numbness which had now spread throughout most of her body.

Her eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped as Owain forced himself up, pushing passed what seemed like the weight of the world. He held his bloodied side that used to bear an arm. "This is _my_ responsibility. Not yours. Despite who we are…" He grunted in pain, stepping forward. "Our past is different. _I_ can do it. But you?" He grunted again.

"Me what? You don't think I'm strong enough? That I'm too weak? That because I'm less experienced with our power that I'll fail in whatever it is you're trying to achieve?" She yelled.

He coughed up _way_ too much blood for comfort and collapsed to his knees.

"Owain! _Hey_! Stop it! You're done! I've won!"

He closed his eyes. "Am I? Just how much do you think we're able to give?" He tried to lift himself up but failed. He strained and strained yet couldn't muster up the strength. He grunted and tried yet again, yet it was as if his muscles just wouldn't work. He let out a low, tired laugh. "I…had hoped to spare you from this, Yang. It's one of the few things I'm still able to care about."

" _What?_ "

He looked at her. "We are _destruction,_ Yang. You see—"

She heard Mom and Jaune call to her again. They were running toward her. "I'm fine, you guys! I'm fi—"

* * *

Yang fell over face first, her face seemingly frozen.

"Yang!" Raven said as she rushed up to her, kneeling beside her as she turned her over, and rested her head on her lap. She gazed around the battlefield—where the both of them fought. It was completely disheveled; massive pieces of stone were lopsided, parts of the mountain side had collapsed into the area, and whatever parts of the area built by people had been completely washed away by debris, dirt, and rock. Up close it looked like it had been hit by a massive meteor. Or struck by an earthquake. Never mind the half of the platform that had fallen into the abyss, no doubt taking portions of the Lower City with it.

"She's fine," Owain said, who was hunched over on his knees holding his right side, arm completely gone. He looked like a complete mess. Besides his lower body, his entire body—clothes, armor, and all were completely in shambles. Half his faced seemed to take a heavy hit what with the blood all over it. Or was that even blood?

Raven looked at her daughter and her now missing arm. Whatever remained of her natural right arm was gone as well. "What happened to her?" She asked solemnly, fearing that she had lost; that when next they met, she'd see her daughter fighting her as an enemy. She wasn't going to break a promise like that, no matter how reluctant she'd be.

He didn't respond.

"Owain!" She yelled.

He sighed. "It's a consequence of our power. Our semblance didn't change into another, it simply evolved. It's partly why we don't exhaust our power increase in a single blow anymore. Our ability to regenerate our aura doesn't come from nothing. It comes from our soul."

"That doesn't explain anything! That's exactly how aura works, period!" She said.

"When we regenerate, we sacrifice a piece of our soul to force our aura to regenerate, thus allowing our semblance to reach new heights of power otherwise impossible. You see, we destroy ourselves to destroy others. It's why we embody destruction. There's a justice to the universe, and there's a power in sacrifice, and that power is _ours_. We gain strength from violence. We must take it, handle it, survive it before we are given the right to dish it out."

Her eyes widened. "What? Owain, that's—"

"She'll be fine." He grunted. "Better she acclimates now, rather than later." He grunted again. It was odd seeing him like this. He looked like death, yet still had the energy to speak. "At first, the damage to our soul is not—" another grunt. "Permanent. So, having her overcome great adversities now would strengthen her so she wouldn't have to rely on such power later. Though, considering this battle, it's very likely she'll be a bit different when she wakes up."

Raven shut her eyes, holding her daughter tightly. _You could have said something sooner, you bastard…_

He forced out a sigh. "…If I didn't do what I did and told her the truth of our power from the start, she'd either refrain from using it—thus possibly die, or she'd come to rely on it to the point that she'd end up like me. Though I must admit, even if it _was_ her, I found it quite difficult to give a damn." Yet another grunt, this one more drawn out than the others. "Don't get the wrong idea. She's not a part of this. That was partly the point. I was only ever meant to be a docile governor while Albus, Nero, and August did the rest…"

She looked over to him, realizing something. She focused on what he said, _I found it quite difficult to give a damn_. "Owain. You said, "at first." Tell me, how much of your soul is intact? How much of your soul have you sacrificed?"

He paused. "Including the costs from this fight? The overwhelming majority." He was clearly forcing himself to keep talking; it was less the pain that he seemed to struggle with and more like his weakened body found it difficult to talk. "It even feels…as if my name is but a distant memory; an almost unrecognizable word."

The rest of the pieces were starting to all come together; Yang's whole seeing like a grimm thing a while back, the source of aura, Owain's view of the world, his lack of emotion and strange docility—yet his monstrous behavior, the way his room looked and how it reminded her of Yang when she was down, the fact that he mentioned the others planned to have him do nothing. It—

"What do you mean most of it?" Jaune interjected as he stared solemnly at Yang. "Can she—can the damage be reversed? And what happens when all of it is gone?"

"Unfortunately, the damage is irreversible once it becomes permanent. It's sort of in the definition. As for what happens…well, I can't say for certain, though I doubt…it'll be a good thing while we're alive. As for when we die…we…well…we forfeit our afterlife, as you need a soul for that, don't you?"

She held Yang tighter. She wondered if this was why Nero revealed the truth to Yang. _Why would they want him to be just a governor? They wouldn't want him to disappear like that, would they?_

"But why?" Jaune asked. "Why would you go so far?"

"You already know the answer to that." He looked at him with what seemed to be a renewed vigor. "How far _wouldn't_ I go, if it meant protecting that which I cared about? Against thugs? Against an army? Against the world? Against the gods?" He somehow stood up. "Let all things in the universe bare their fangs against me! I'll die fighting before I let—" He almost fell flat on his face though in that instant he seemed to be supported by something.

It was then that she noticed Albus a few feet behind him.

Jaune's expression turned stern. "Owain, I want you to tell me who we're supposed to be fighting! Who's the real enem—" he cut himself off, realizing Albus' presence.

"That's enough, Owain."

"So, what happens now?" Raven said tearfully.

Owain breathed out as if out of breath. "Find…" He paused. "Gather the shards of my blade and give them to her. Meanwhile," He paused again, breathing out tired breath. "I'm going to need to find myself a barber."

She looked down to Yang. "So, you're giving up the victory?"

"If Yang really wanted to, she could've forced out more aura. Had she tried to kill me, she would've won. But she let the side effect build up; there's a bit of a backlash if we sacrifice too much too quickly. As for me, I've already sacrificed too much to stand as her equal. This victory is rightfully hers. It was, the moment the battle started."

Albus sighed. "Then I suggest you lay low. Stay clear from anyone who has seen your face as governor of Mistral. We'll handle the rest, as originally intended."

"So, what was the point of him being governor?" She asked Albus. "I want to hear it from you."

"To pose as a threat and to protect him. He was powerful enough that no mere mortal could stand against him, and that was all that was needed. Had he _stayed put_ , his soul would be more intact than it is now. Though as it stands…"

"Albus…" Jaune said. "There's…things I want to ask you. About Weiss. I—"

"Jaune." She shook her head. "Leave it alone. For now. Besides, he won't give you any answers."

Albus snorted. "Well said, Raven."

She looked down to Yang. _How am I supposed to live with that knowledge?_ If Yang got into a fight that was too dangerous for her, or her friends, she'd sacrifice more of her soul in a heartbeat. She's not the scared little girl she was in the past. She _would_ do something like that in a heartbeat. How was she supposed to live with the knowledge that when she died, she might never see her daughter again, neither in life or in death? What in the world was she supposed to tell Tai? _Oh Yang…_

"You two…" Albus said as a green-glyphed portal opened. "Back to Haven. An evacuation will occur in short order, and you need to be there when it happens. Take Yang and meet up with your allies. I'll be sending Weiss back as well, shortly."

"What?" Jaune said.

"Though Owain was defeated, the destruction of the Atlesian fleet, as well as our leader's arrival has signaled our victory. The remains of Mistral are now under our territory. Not that it wasn't before, but now the world knows for certain that it is."

As much as she wanted to confront Albus, she knew it was a stupid thing to do, so she got up with Yang in her arms, and walked through the portal, trusting that Jaune would follow.

* * *

Weiss rushed across the mess that was the city with Percy close behind. "Can you guys tell me if Yang's fight is finished? It's been a little while since their location went dead silent. What's happening over there?"

"We don't know. Yang, Raven, nor Jaune have contacted us yet. Hopefully that's not a bad sign," Oscar said. "How are you over there?"

"We're fine. I'm going to go check up on them." She skidded in place as she saw a mechanically tentacled knight-looking machine bar her path. It was white in appearance and had a crown atop its head. She noticed its designation at its throat. _T-202 Conqueror Beta_. "I'll catch up to you later! I have a guest to take care of."

"Got it. Talk to you soon," As Oscar finished his sentence, she hung up and pocketed her scroll. "Ready Percy?"

"Of course!"

She drew Wiste Rosa—pointing it at the templar—as it streaked toward her. She leaped over it into a mid-air glyph she used to propel herself into a thrust as she forced it back, its aura flickering from the impact. It spun around into a retaliatory swing of its tendrils, firing off missiles at her as well as she flipped backward and—upon landing on the ground—slowed the missiles with black glyphs, zigzagging passed them to meet the templar as Percy lunged to its side, slicing at two of its tendrils.

Its aura took more damage as it skidded away and forced the two of them into its field of view. "Percy! Hold its attention! I need a little time!" She didn't have time for this! She wanted to see if Yang was okay! Percy nodded and lunged at it as she pierced the ground with Wiste Rosa as a massive summoning circle spun around her. The towering visage of her knight formed from the glyph as its shadow cloaked the area. She stood up straight, stepped off to the side of the knight as it raised its blade up high, as she raised her own weapon up as glyphs formed around the knight's blade, coating it with a heated edge. She snapped her sword's point at the templar as Percy leaped away to safety. The knight brought down its blade like a wrathful god down upon the battlefield.

As the templar moved away, she slowed its movement to a near halt with a massive black glyph as the giant of a sword cleaved through it, quaking the very foundations of the platform. She de-summoned the knight, and turned her attention toward the steps before her, leading up to the platform where Yang and Owain were supposed to be fighting. "Let's go, Percy! We have friends to aid!" She stowed her weapon on her side.

Weiss raced up the steps zigzagging through the debris that was the Atlas fleet. _Ruby mentioned a dust dragon, didn't she?_ She thought as she found herself hoping that the Warrior's arrival meant Albus also took to the field. She gripped the hilt of Wiste Rosa as she approached the top of the steps.

"Weiss, wait!" Percy shouted.

She slowed to a stop, keeping one foot ahead on the step in front of her. "What is it?" The dragon roared and swept through the sky, too close for comfort.

"We should find cover or head back to Haven. It'll be a lot safer than running out in the open."

She turned her head to face him. _You've always tried to deter me rather than actively protect me. Why Percy?_ She hid her concern, her fear. She didn't want to accuse him, but… "We'll be fine! If things get too dangerous for me, you'll defend me, right?"

He gripped Sarcomelia, his longsword; it had a rapier-like aesthetic to it as well. Similar to her own… "Of course! I'm simply advising we stay low until the dragon exits the area. The power of that thing is not something we can contend with."

She clenched her fist. _You're overthinking this, Weiss. So, what if his weapon is like yours! He's just doing his job and he's right!_ She furrowed her brow. "I understand. Then let us move on ahead. At least get a lay of the land and then find cover. We're approaching the area where Yang, Raven, and Jaune were, and it's been silent for a while. I'd like to check up on them."

He paused. "I understand. Lead on."

She nodded and ran up the rest of the steps and on to level ground. Well, what _should_ have been level ground. The area she was running through looked like it had been eviscerated. It was dilapidated, shattered, disheveled, and filled with debris, ash, and burnt wood, and crumpled stone. Blackened smoke choked the air as she coughed and coughed, running through the devastated area. "Yang!" She yelled. "Raven! Jaune!"

"Weiss!" Percy whispered loudly as he tackled her to the side, under the cover of a house that was just intact enough to provide some semblance of cover.

"What's the big ide—" _thump!_

"Weiss?" He whispered.

She heard footsteps approaching.

 _Thump!_ What was this feeling? "I…" She felt something. It was odd. It was like her aura was brushing up against something. There was a fuzzy feeling. She jerked her head up and to the side, in the direction of the footsteps as a silhouette shrouded in the black smoke approached them. She kept her gaze on the silhouette; they stopped in place and it seemed as if they had their hands on their hips or behind their back. A military posture, it had to be, considering the circumstances. The sensation that reverberated throughout her body was so slight as to be almost unnoticeable, yet it was there. One and only one thought crossed her mind. She furrowed her brow and stood up.

"Weiss? Weiss, hold on!" Percy whispered loudly.

She walked out into the open to face the man as the smoke faded away with the blowing of the wind. "Percy, to my side! Draw your weapon and ready yourself!"

"Please, Weiss," the man said. "This is a casual visit. Please allow me to indulge myself. I know I shouldn't, given my position, but I can't quite help myself. I finally understand how Nero and Owain felt despite me criticizing them. This is quite the compulsion." With the smoke cleared, she got a good look at his visage; the white, elegant, stainless, military styled coat, the light-blue tie underneath, his military posture—he had the look of a general about him; he'd fit quite well within the Atlesian military. His long white hair was tied in a ponytail where it lay rested across his left shoulder down over his chest. And his _face_.

"Albus," she said with a confrontational tone. Finally. _Finally,_ she got to meet and confront him. She gripped her weapon, readying to draw it. "My sister! Where is she?" She noticed that he was unarmed.

He sighed. "She is safe. I have spoken to her, and she is currently off doing busywork."

"Then wh—"

"Why won't she answer her scroll?" He interjected. "Because she is under "radio silence" as it were. Winter is on a mission of great importance. It's imperative that she remain hidden."

She paused. Weighing the weight of his words, measuring them. _Who are you?_ She wanted to ask. Him, Nero, Owain, and the Warrior. Despite the mystery of the others, she was drawn to the mystery of _him_ most of all. But right now, he was the enemy, and she didn't trust a single thing that came out of his mouth. She took a deep breath, drew Wiste Rosa, pointed it at him as two summoning glyphs whirled beside her where her knight and wyvern appeared on the field. They charged but stopped in place. Her eyes widened.

"I want to help you, Weiss. Despite my duty demanding I don't. So, I'll meet you halfway and give you a little hint. What are the domains of the sovereign?"

Her summons were frozen in place. She tried to comm—wait! "You mean us? The King and Queen? Did yo—how did you do that?"

Summoning glyphs appeared under her knight and wyvern, but the glyphs spun in the opposite direction, faster and faster until the two of them slowly dissipated away like dust in the wind. She turned her gaze to Albus and his expressionless face, a face that seemed to stare deep into her soul as he maintained his frozen military posture—like a general in the midst of a massacre he had commanded. "There are three of them. The first is Authority. Our power is complicated so here's the hint. Why don't you have a personal semblance? Why do you merely have a family semblance, despite having a unique soul?"

Wait, is he implying that she hasn't really unlocked her semblance? Her _real_ semblance? "Tell what you know!"

He raised his hand.

"Weiss, _run!_ " Percy shouted as he charged through the air—Sarcomelia prepped for a thrust as a green glyph opened in the air that consumed Percy where it then vanished in an instant.

"Percy!" She clenched her teeth, squeezed her fists into a ball. "What did you do to him?" She shouted.

"I returned him to Haven. There he can be more effective as a fighter."

"Haven?"

"Our dear leader will rain hell down up Haven and there will be a reckoning. Your friends, colleagues, and allies _will_ be spared, but the academy itself must be erased."

" _Why? Why_ are you doing this? What is it that you hope to get out of the New Dawn? The templar? The dust-tuned?" One thing she definitely knew is that she stood no chance against him. He had her powers, yet from just a short glimpse of them, they had far surpassed her own. Then there was what he mentioned. The idea of her _real_ semblance. Though she did feel a sense of relief. A relief that came about from seeing the two of them in the same place; him and Percy. Yet that relief couldn't be maintained.

"The fight between Yang and Owain has met its end, and she has won. Though she suffers from the ultimate consequence of their shared power, she will be fine—if just a little bit changed."

 _Yang won?_ Wait, what did he mean by _ultimate consequence_? "You didn't answer my questions!" First things first.

"A distraction, nothing more. The New Dawn are a useful piece, but just that, a _piece_." He paused and stared at her.

 _Just a pawn, then? What is_ your _ultimate goal, then, Albus?_ She stared back at him. No, she glared at him. "Why don't you just kill me? You could. Quite easily in fact. Why play this game?"

"Killing you is the last thing I'd do. Just the opposite in fact." He turned around.

Her eyes widened, and for a second her mouth went agape. " _Excuse_ me?"

Two portals in the form of a green glyph opened. "Take the left portal back to Haven. Meet your allies there. If you wish to confront me and learn more, then return to Atlas when you're ready. I will be there." He stepped through the right portal and turned to face her. "It was wonderful to meet you personally, Weiss." The right portal closed.

 _Atlas, is it?_ 'When you're ready' was what he said. Was that a threat? What if she went back to Atlas as she was now? And what did he mean by _just the opposite_? Did he have some twisted notion of protecting her? She snapped back to the present. "Yang!" She rushed ahead through the remaining portal, reaching Haven. She decided to check the infirmary first and foremost.

"Weiss?" Jaune said through the crowd of people. "Weiss, is that you?"

"Jaune?" She quickened her pace to meet them and she did. Him, Raven, and Yang—who was unconscious on a bed in one of the many makeshift tents. Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her hands. Yang looked… _devastated_. Her whole right arm was gone. "Is she alright?"

Raven looked down at her solemnly. "She'll be fine. Mostly."

Weiss furrowed her brow. "Mostly?"

Jaune stepped next to her. "Turns out their power comes with quite a heavy cost." He looked at her. "As it turns out, they can't just freely regenerate their aura. They do so by destroying pieces of their own soul."

His words came as a shock. "What!"

"It's…not permanent at first, according to Owain. Their souls make a full recovery, but for every time they regenerate their aura…" He scratched his head. "Well, eventually, it _does_ become permanent."

"That's completely insane! What'll happen if she sacrificed all of it?" She had an idea. "No, never mind, I don't wanna know." She stepped closer to Raven.

"You should call the others. Tell them what happened," Jaune said. "Albus ported us over and we haven't contacted them yet what with all the chaos."

She nodded and took out her scroll, dialing Oscar's number.

* * *

Blake kept her eyes on Frost who had been aggressively fighting off dust-tuned and rescuing faunus civilians. If she was trying to make the White Fang look bad, she was doing a good job of it. Either way, despite the fact that she didn't trust Frost, their goals _did_ align, if only for the moment. One thing became clear to her however was that Frost was not an ordinary fighter. The dust-tuned—from what she could gather—were able to use dust to an extreme degree virtually with no tells—just like magic and without aura. Ordinary huntsmen and huntresses would have a problem dealing with them if they didn't have experience in dealing with them in the first place.

Considering Nero and his penchant for knowing things, it's not all too surprising that one of his more trusted members would be this skilled. She scanned her environment, searching for more civilians, but so far, there weren't any. Many of the buildings were destroyed. Their ornate designs, the fine tapestries, and the intricate stonework of the buildings were all gone now thanks to this battle. A lot of people were going to be without homes now, and even though they were the wealthy, that didn't stop her from feeling sympathy.

The sky flashed with heat and thunder. No, not thunder. She looked up to see the decimated remains of falling Atlesian airships amidst streaks of blue, and streams of lightning that seemed to come from a— _Oh no,_ she thought.

"Should probably get away from this area," Frost shouted, spinning one of her sickles from its chain. She stowed them at her sides and bolted down an alley. "You should come along, High Leader! That dragon seems like bad news!"

She was right. At the very least, they would be going to the upper parts of the Lower City to check the damages there, but when the swoop came from the dust dragon at a frightening speed which seemed to shake the very air, she knew it was too dangerous at the moment to stay behind. So, she followed. She followed Frost down the alley, in between buildings of decreasing quality as they went further and further down an increasingly steep, spiraling slope. They leaped over rubble, slid underneath fallen beams of wood and steel, and swerved between shrapnel that came from falling airships.

They ran and ran yet Frost never seemed to stop. Where was she going? Before she knew it, Frost had shaken her. She tried to catch up and with what seemed like way too much time spent, she finally found Frost stopped beside the entrance to what seemed like a cavern in an open area. It didn't seem too deep into the Lower City. She scanned the sides of the cavern, trying to see around or over it but couldn't make anything out.

"In here," Frost said. "I know this path. Through here we can reach the back of Haven. There's an upwards path that'll take us there."

"We're retreating? Didn't think you'd give up on the faunus so easily."

"That dragon is not good news, High Leader. Besides, we've covered most of the Upper City as you well know. With your friends helping, any stragglers belonging to our enemy will have been picked off by now. Now come on." She started walking inside. "If nothing else, you can regroup with your comrades in Haven for a short while before heading off into battle once more."

She grinned. "Nero's taught you well." She's diplomatic, confident, and quick to take command. Maybe Nero has been grooming her to be a leader. Or perhaps this is simply who she was. She followed her into the cavern and just like she said, there was a wide, spiraling path on the side of the walls that sloped upward around the central pillar which seemed to support the whole place. It was mostly underwater though, so they'd have to swim. She looked up above and noticed what seemed to be a bridge and orange colored leaves among a great tree, though she couldn't make out much more from the angle. As Frost swam into the water and to the sloping path, she followed. If she was being honest with herself, she enjoyed this. They weren't fighting—despite being enemies—and she was getting to know more about the faunus in the Black Claw.

As they walked up the slope and around, she got a better look at the bridge, and her nerves went on edge. _The Vault of the Spring Maiden._ This place was dangerous for her. _Very_ dangerous. Yet, Frost was right; through the elevator, they could take a path up to her dad's mansion. Her pace slowed.

Frost looked over her shoulder over to her. "What's wrong, High Leader?"

 _You keep calling me that. Almost as if you're insulting me. Like there should be air-quotes around it._ She looked back to the bridge which led to the vault. She tried not to stare at it, paranoid. "It's nothing. Let's head on up."

"Gotcha." Frost reached the elevator and pushed the button to call it down. "Now we just wait for it."

As Blake walked behind Frost. She took a deep breath. Then—

She was pulled away from the elevator, toward the—her instincts flared as she fought whatever was pulling her. It was a wire! A metal wire of some sort! She looked behind as she landed halfway between the vault and the elevator as a faunus held the wire tightly. He was garbed in the Black Claw uniform as well, but it didn't match Frost's. Her ears perked up at a low, crumbly, cracking sound only to see the vault doors break apart. She bore her teeth and growled, feeling like an idiot.

"I'm sorry, Blake," Frost said. "I listened in with your little chit-chat with the boss back in his private chambers. You two were awfully friendly in there. I hope to the gods you two are just brother and sister, otherwise…" Frost took a deep breath. "I know what this vault contains and what it's supposed to do to you."

"So that's what this is?" She yelled angrily, trying to break free from the hold. "All of this was just to trap me?"

"Don't take it personally. You're just too dangerous. Nero's gone soft with you around and we need him at his best."

She struggled and struggled, but it was too late. The vault door exploded, launching the faunus forward as he screamed at the sudden explosion.

A dark blue mist seeped from the vault. And a screeching pain of a voice seared its way into her brain. _Huntress…_ A _familiar_ voice. _It's time you know your sins!_

White. Only white. The transition was instantaneous. It was a transition, wasn't it? She experienced this before when they first used Jinn all those years ago. Or was this different and she was already dead? It shifted into the City of Vale wreathed in towering flames. Strange entities of varying shape roamed the streets; they looked like they were made of a jagged stone. Some of them had feathery wings, others had elongated claws, yet others bore several rows of fangs. None of them had eyes, however.

And up in the sky was a great ovular object colored silver with a golden slit in the middle of it. Around the object were dark yellow clouds that bore an eerie light and those clouds cloaked the entire sky.

"Humanity was supposed to have a limit…" Jinn said. "Yet once upon a time, four warriors demonstrated to my creator that there was no such thing."

Jinn formed from thin air and looked down at her. "And once upon a time, a woman by the name of Salem demonstrated that humanity's potential was far too dangerous."

"Where am I?" She asked, erratically looking around the city. She looked up at the great big thing in the sky and realized that it looked eerily like an eye, and it seemed to force her attention.

"You are in your final resting place, Blake Belladonna."

"What?" Well of course she was! This was supposed to kill her wasn't it? Yet she wasn't dead. That meant there was hope.

"It's strange. It seems even with the death of Humanity, chaos has a strange way of bouncing back. You are a key piece to all of this, _Huntress_ , and because of that, you will remain here for all eternity."

"Like hell I will!" She stormed off through the streets; Jinn simply floated behind her, looking completely unimpressed with her arms crossed and with a raised eyebrow. The fact that Jinn didn't literally kill her probably meant she didn't have the power to. Hopefully that _was_ the case. _No matter how long it takes, I_ will _find a way out of this!_

* * *

As Qrow, Tai, and Hazel battled their way to the mansion, Qrow struggled to stop glancing up at the dust dragon swooping through the burning red skies of Mistral as he ran. _Damn it, Ruby!_ He knew _he_ was a different Ruby, but still; the truth still bothered the _hell_ out of him. He also couldn't help but keep Tai as his primary focus as they ran up the curved steps; he felt the urge to blurt out, _Owain and that dude are your sons from another world and they're the bad guys!_ But a promise was a promise.

"Think we should lay low for a bit?" Tai asked.

"Run close to the rubble, under the cover of the smoke!" Hazel shouted as they all swerved closer to the edges of the steps as they made their way up and around to the mansion.

The dust dragon roared directly overhead as it seemed to stop in place directly in front of them, close enough for him to get a good look at its size. _Is that thing bigger than before?_ He thought as he watched it descend down into what was supposed to be the rubble of the mansion. They all stopped in place.

"Great! So, what do we do now? Retreat?" Tai asked.

 _That would be the smart thing to do,_ Qrow thought as he walked ahead of them.

"Qrow?"

It was a gamble, but what were they gonna do? _Actually_ retreat? He couldn't do that; he was urged forward by his desire to confront the Warrior. "Let's go feel him out, then book it if it looks bad."

"Terrible plan," Hazel said, though that didn't seem to stop him given that Qrow heard him move forward. Tai followed as well. Hopefully he wouldn't regret wanting to meet dude Ruby.

Qrow reached the top of the steps, continuing his tread toward the dust dragon as he caught sight of the Warrior casually sat atop the haft of his greataxe that was stuck into the ground at a low enough angle one could sit on. Its mechanical design indicated it had a transformation, and it had a rather interesting crystal in between the axe head and the rest of the haft.

The Warrior had his left leg over his right knee and he casually held his head up with his left arm. Like Owain, he wore an armored robe not too dissimilar from Raven's; it seemed like he had a change of outfit since the last time he saw him.

As Qrow approached, the Warrior waved his right hand as if he was happy to see them. "Hey!" He shouted. He pointed to the rubble behind him with his thumb. "The uh, the mansion's off limits."

"This…is a little weird, but okay," Tai said.

Perhaps it was a good sign. He stepped closer to him but froze in place at the sight of the dust dragon leering closer to him with a low guttural growl that had a crackling energy to it.

The Warrior raised his right hand up as if to command the dragon to halt. It did. It reared its head back and sat down like a dog behind its master. "The templar that were here seemed to scatter, so I wouldn't worry about them."

Qrow nodded to the sky. "Did you _have_ to do all that?"

He looked up. "Oh…well…" He shrugged. "Sorta?"

Qrow took another step forward. "Are you serious?" He said judgmentally.

"Look, this is a war and every single one of them signed up for this. Furthermore, if our positions were reversed, every one of them would've done the same thing."

"But you're supposed to be better than that!" Qrow lashed out. "Or maybe…" He stepped even closer. "Those golden eyes of yours aren't very good at noticing stuff like that."

There was a pause. "My…what? Did you just say, "golden eyes"?" He barked out a single howl of a laugh. "I think someonehas been misleading you."

What? "Why would Ruby lie about something like that?"

He leaned forward. "Ruby told you that?" He looked off to the side for a few seconds before jerking his head back to him. "Where is she now?"

"Ain't telling you," Tai said. "Not sure what you want with her _or_ what's going on with her, but if you want my daughter, you're going to have to put up a fight!"

"Tai!" No, wait! Maybe appealing to him could work. Owain didn't seem to know who Tai was, but now…

"What?" Tai said.

He sighed and smirked. "Nothing." He looked back at the other Ruby. He was looking at Tai, but he had no idea what he might be thinking.

"Yeah, no. That would be pointless. If I _really_ wanted to find her, I'd find her no problem, but as of right n—" His head jerked off to the side. After a pause he looked back to them. "Seems Owain has been defeated." He stood up.

Crap! He grabbed the hilt of his weapon.

"Relax," He said. The dragon stood up and growled. "Leave. Head back to Haven and evacuate everyone to safety. I'll give you no more than three hours." He leaped onto the back of the dragon.

"What? What are you going to do?" Qrow yelled. _Don't be an idiot! You already know the answer to that!_

"Destroy Haven!" The dragon flapped its wings and floated above the ground. "Menagerie, Patch—take your pick—but choose one and stay there!" He flew off into the sky but didn't do anything else. The dragon stopped and just flapped its wings in place.

No, no, something was happening. He squinted his eyes and noticed an energy gathering around the dragon. It was like a thin mist—almost invisible. It seemed to come from all around it as the strange mist seeped into the mouth of the dragon. His instincts flared. "Back to Haven! Tai call Raven! See if she, Yang, and Jaune are alright!"

"Where do we go? Can't evacuate without a place to go!" Hazel said.

"Run it by Ghira! He used to be the chief of Menagerie, right?" Tai said as he put his scroll to his ear.

"Damn it!" Qrow took his scroll and called Oscar. "Hey Oscar! Get everyone huddled together, and I mean _everyone!_ Ask Ghira if he can provide transport to Menagerie! Meanwhile, see if we can find a transport to Patch as well."

"Slow down, what's going on?" Oscar said.

"Ruby—" He shut his mouth. _Damn,_ he almost blew it. In the heat of the moment he defaulted to nicknaming the guy with the only shorthand he had. "The Warrior! Look to the sky! He said he was planning to destroy Haven! I think he's charging up an attack with the dragon as we speak! He's given us three hours!"

"On it." Oscar said solemnly. "Ghira!" He said, scroll clearly away from his face. "I'll talk to you soon, Qrow."

"Yeah…" He hung up. "Alright, let's hurry on back and help out with the evacuation. Shouldn't have anything slowing us down on the way there."

Hazel and Tai nodded.

"How's Yang?" Qrow asked.

"Bad. She's going to be alright, but the battle took its toll." Tai looked down with a concerned expression.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's Raven. She seemed upset about something but didn't want to say what just yet. It…worries me."

He sighed. "It's one thing after another." With that, the three of them stormed back the way they came, backtracking as fast as they could, expending all of their energy as if fighting a grueling battle. They made it back with great timing, and the three of them upon entering noted the panicked rush everyone in the school was in, but it was an organized panic. An _evacuation_. That was perfect. The three of them rushed to Ghira's office, stormed through the doors, and met Ghira in front of the statue of Jhin, just short of the elevator to the vault.

 _If only we could ask a couple questions of Jhin. He sighed and rushed up to Oscar, Ghira, and Kali._ "So?"

"I've spoken with the Menagerie Government. Ghira's old mansion is still mostly vacant," Kali said. "We could relocate there. Mistral, and now Haven? This kingdom isn't a place to run things anymore."

Ghira sighed. "She's right. Unfortunately, we don't have enough ships to move everyone in one trip. Some of them will have to find a safe spot somewhere in the city until we can provide more transport, though considering by then Haven will be destroyed…"

Qrow turned around to face the door. "Why Haven?" He said to himself. "What are you after?" He tried to get into the mind of his nephew. They were the same person. They had the same soul, there was no way the same soul could be _that_ different. He was up to something. Something big, something beyond what they could see. But what was it? He felt this ominous urge to think that Haven was the key to something.

"Qrow?" Oscar asked.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Earlier on the phone. You mentioned Ruby. What were you going to tell me?"

He looked at him. "Oh, r-right! It's nothing. Got a little confused in the heat of the moment. Panic and all that. It was nothing!" _Perfect excuse, you idiot._

He furrowed his brow. "Oh, alright. Never mind then." He looked over to Tai. "Do you think you could contact Patch? I've tried to contact Ironwood, but I'm unable to get through at the moment."

"What's the plan, though? Menagerie or Patch?"

"Both." Ghira said. "There's not enough space for everyone in Haven in Menagerie, but if we divide them up…"

Tai nodded. "I'll see if I can contact someone there with authority."

Qrow walked out as the others did their thing. He took a long gander at the people running around, each making whatever calls they could. He stared at Ruby quietly and solemnly helping out a few of the rescued civilians who were too injured to help, yet not injured enough to receive help at the infirmary. _I hope you guys have a good reason for this, you bastards…_

* * *

Yang opened her eyes to an unfamiliar room. It was _big_. There was a large window with a balcony off at the edge of the room. The curtains were opened, and the window was open as well, letting in a cool breeze, and it was day. She held her head. The numbness was gone. Where was she? She scanned the room, then it hit her. "Wait!" What happened? The fight! Owain! Did she win? Or lose? She threw herself off the bed and checked herself. She slowed down as she realized her missing arm. _That's right…_

She continued scanning the room. Large, ornate dressers, a ridiculously large closet, and a photo of what seemed to be a family placed atop one of the dressers. She walked up to it and realized it was a photo of Blake and her family. Blake was a child in the picture. She looked around again. _Why is there a photo of Blake here?_ The place was completely unfamiliar to her that she couldn't think of anything. She faced back to the drawer and stopped at the image of herself in the mirror.

Her eyes went wide. Her eyes were red. She held her head and tried to relax, but…couldn't! She couldn't relax! She was on edge! But this never triggered her red eyes before, so what the hell was up this time? She scanned the room in a panic until a suitcase caught her eye. On top of the suitcase was a letter. She walked up to it. It was addressed to her. She picked up the letter, turned it over, then opened the suitcase. Inside was a bunch of metallic shards and a familiar scabbard. She quickly opened the letter and began reading.

 _Yang. It's your mom. You won! Inside the suitcase are the shards and scabbard of Lone Talon. Owain himself told me to gift them to you. He also said he was going to find himself a barber. Can you believe it?_

She…won?

 _Owain left with Albus, though you don't have to worry about him. He's officially out of the "game" so to speak. Laying low, just in case anyone recognizes him._

She let out a massive sigh of relief and almost felt like collapsing onto her knees. She looked at herself in the mirror again and despite the rush of relief, her eyes remained red.

She went back to reading.

 _Haven was destroyed by the Warrior. It's completely gone. Some people had to stay behind, but with a few round trips, and a little bit of searching, the Haven ships picked up those who remained. And, though you shouldn't worry about it for now, Blake has gone missing. We don't know if she was somewhere close to Haven when the dragon unleashed its attack or if she's somewhere in the city and for whatever reason can't get in contact with us._

A rage boiled up inside her, though she instinctually forced it out. She held her head and closed her eyes. "The hell is wrong with me?" Blake was fine. The four of them knew things. No way the other Ruby would kill Blake. She was fine! Probably just lost her scroll. Despite her rationalizations, she couldn't help but feel an urge to storm out the door to whatever this place was and go looking for her. How much time had passed since their final battle? She forced her nerves to relax and went back to reading.

 _We've relocated to Menagerie which is to serve as our base of operations for now. If you're wondering where you are, you're in the guest room. Blake had stayed there at one point in her past._

She smiled. _So that's where I am…_

 _Also, Owain revealed to us the true nature of the Berserker._

Her brow furrowed.

 _Justice. You two gain strength from the violence of others. And you can sacrifice your soul for greater power; Owain said he sacrificed most of his soul already. You have the power to pay the price for destruction. You don't dodge it, you don't avoid it, you don't redirect it to others, you take it head on. You let it hurt you, injure you, possibly kill you before you take it out on your enemy. Though I'm sure this must all be obvious to by now. However, as Owain demonstrates, the cost is rather high, so…try not to use it, okay? For me, and for Tai._

She broke into laughter. _So that's what it was…_ She just kept laughing and laughing, not even mindful of anyone else in the mansion, thinking over the fears she had; that she had it in her to be an evil monster. _What did you think he was? Some serial killer who ate babies?_ She just kept at it. There might have been a moment where she realized she should lower the volume, but then it hit her. She outright told him, she wouldn't sacrifice herself. _About that…_ he should've said.

The laughter faded. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed a breath of relief as her eyes returned to their normal lilac color. _That's not the type of sacrifice I was talking about, but…_ She stretched. "Well, if that's the case, then I'd just have to alter the terms of our promise a little!"

Souls didn't come from nothing. There _was_ a way to reverse it. Not for her sake, but for his. Well…she figured it should be for her sake as well. Mom and Dad were probably worried sick over this. The others two. If Blake found out her soul might completely just fade away, she'd be worried crazy too! _She's fine,_ she thought. _Blake can take care of herself._

There was more to the letter.

 _Also. The storm is gone. You remember the one. The one we thought followed Owain. As soon as Haven was destroyed, the storm disappeared in almost an instant. It was odd and it's been keeping Qrow on edge ever since._

Why would the storm disappear with the destruction of Haven? _That didn't come off as remotely ominous!_ She thought, sarcastically.

She stretched. Well, here's to another journey. She'd probably have to get surgery to get a replacement for her right side, but still. She'd give Blake some time, and then go and check up on her if too much time passed. Meanwhile, she was going to find her new brother! Gotta make sure he's making up for the things he's done. She stepped out onto the balcony and gazed out at Menagerie. She closed her eyes and just took in a deep breath. _It's going to be_ so _weird seeing him with short hair._

* * *

Frost walked down the purple carpet atop white marble, atop the black stoned floor. She gazed around, scanning the columns of faunus statues holding up the ceilings. She gazed at the black panther statues that were symmetrically placed throughout the room. She looked up at the banner of the Black Claw—its black banner, the purple claw, with the golden eye in the center still filled her with a sense of pride. _Seems like the base didn't take too much damage. Seems almost perfect._

Frost walked down a set of steps at the far end of the main hallway, down another hallway and knocked on the door at the far end. _Hope he's alright._ She didn't want to be the one to break the news, but she didn't want to lie to him. Well, not like _that_ , but better that he knows about it now rather than figure it out later and scold her for not telling him sooner.

"What is it?" Nero said groggily.

"Boss. I've…got important news for you."

"It can wait."

"You need to hear this…" She wanted to pry and find out exactly what the hell was up with him and Blake, but she knew better.

After a few moments, Nero opened up the door—his face covered by his mask as usual. "What is it?"

"You see…" She sighed and scratched her head. _Well this is harder than I thought._ "Mistral was attacked _hard_ by the New Dawn and Atlas came in shortly afterward."

"And?"

"I took it upon myself to aid in the defense of the city, protect the faunus and stuff…"

"Continue."

"I uh. Well I met Blake. The fighting reached Haven and we stood our ground there, but…Well, something happened in the Vault of the Spring Maiden, and…"

Nero looked up.

"She's gone. I'm sorry." She bowed as best she could.

He said nothing. A minute passed and he still said nothing. Then, "I was quiet for too long. I shouldn't have stopped my power."

"Boss?" She asked, but he just walked right passed her and a chill went down her spine as her eyes went wide.

"Now there's nothing left to hold me back anymore…" Despite the solemnness of his words, there was a darkness that seeped out of him. A darkness that frightened her. _What is she to you?_ She felt compelled to ask, yet she held her tongue. _Don't be a fool. This is what you wanted,_ she thought as she forced a smirk.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Yang's arc is finally done! I'll be doing some improvements to all of her chapters, since typically as time moves forward, I start to notice things I hadn't before, so I want to improve them as best I can, but besides that, Blake's arc is finally coming up! Hope you all enjoy the last chapter for Yang's arc! I'll try to not take too long with the editing and beginning Blake's arc.


	24. Blake's Arc Chapter 1

**The White Huntress**

 **Chapter 1 — Visions**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm an idiot. I _just_ realized upon rereading this chapter that I _somehow_ missed during my constant editing that I confused Jinn for Jhin. Ugh! Anyways! Made quick edits to replace the two. Goodness.

* * *

Blake walked through the streets of Vale beneath the ominous canopy of darkened yellow clouds permeating outwards like a reverse funnel, passing by the strange craggily creatures that shambled in every direction, not paying her any mind. "What are they? What _is_ all this, for that matter?" She asked her would-be executioner—all while avoiding ethereal rubble that came from torn buildings that loomed all around her.

Jinn kept her contemptuous gaze on her, gliding a few feet away from her backside. Her arms were crossed. "I don't know. I can't see into the future, though for _some_ reason, I _can_ show you this. Do you know what that means? Do you understand the weight of that?"

"No, no I don't. And would you stop looking at me like that? I haven't done _anything_ to deserve that! I don't know what the original Huntsman did—or the other three for that matter—to deserve a death trap from the gods but they're not us!" She turned back forward and continued her study of her new—hopefully temporary—home. The air was thick, there was a freezing, cutting wind that hypocritically blew by like a simple breeze, and the strange eye up above seemed to stare deep into her very soul. _There has to be a way out of here. There's gotta be a reason why Jinn doesn't just kill me and get it over with._

"Do you know why the God of Light gave me my power?" Jinn said, presumably still floating behind her with her condescension.

"To kill me? Or was that a lie too?" She said. The creatures were chimerical, yet strangely organic, like they could've come from nature like any other animal. The only commonality between them was their rocky texture and the fact that none of them had eyes. It reminded her of grimm and how they emulated living beings. Rocky, eyeless grimm that bore none of the features of regular grimm.

"Well, yes, but also to guide. Originally, humans could beseech the God of Light for knowledge. A testament to his generosity. They could ask of him anything, so long as they were willing to accept his answers. He intended to retain a bit of that here on Remnant and thus created me."

She furrowed her brow. "Okay…so why did such a "generous" god preemptively assume that I need to be killed, _millennia_ before I was even born?"

"You already know the answer to that, Blake Belladonna."

She stopped and faced her with a raised eyebrow.

"You are special. Choice, Creation, Knowledge, and Destruction; these four values define not only humanity but embody who you are as a team. Just as it was with the originals. However, to have these powers so focused in singular beings…well…"

"So this is discrimination, then? I wasn't born like everyone else, and so you would condemn me?"

Jinn smirked. She leaned in. "And what _is_ discrimination? _Must_ discrimination always be such a bad thing?"

She crossed _her_ arms. "You can't be serious! Of course it is!

She leered away, still smirking with her arms crossed with a smugness that only angered her. "Oh? How so? Is discriminating against a murderer and tearing them away from society bad?"

She glared at Jinn. "I'm _not_ a murderer! And there's a difference. Murderers have actually _done_ things! They weren't punished before they killed anyone!"

Jinn's grin widened. "Only because people are ignorant. If they could see into the future, if they could see and _know_ that someone was to commit murder, would it not be just and good and right to _discriminate_ against them then and there to prevent a tragedy?"

She started to circle Jinn, feeling an uneasiness, a jitteriness that kept her away from just one place. "People have free will. And not even you can see into the future! And I get the feeling that neither could the God of Light, unless he's a complete buffoon who couldn't foresee Salem's—and his brother's actions!" She planted her foot into the ground and pointed an accusatory finger at her. "And if not even your _god_ could see something that is not even predetermined, then your example fails. People should be judged for their _actions_ and not for what they are! For what they _did_ not what they _could_ do!"

Jinn's grin remained steadfast. She stared at her and they maintained a confrontational contact of eyes for what felt like minutes before everything turned white. She scanned the sudden shift to white as everything flew by her like a storm of blue mist painting a rushed—yet perfect picture as a world took shape. She recognized the place. The Domain of Light. The army that stood with Salem—and Salem herself—confronted the draconic forms of the gods as the God of Darkness wiped out humanity as if dispelling a spell he had cast.

"How does this make you _feel_ , Huntress?" Jinn said. She leaned in again. "As a righteous being. As a hero. As one who has stood up for all that was good and right in the world ever since she first picked up that picket sign."

She gave Jinn another confrontational glare. "What the God of Darkness did was _evil_. Plain and simple. And stupid."

Jinn frowned. "And if you could confront the God of Darkness, what would you do?"

"Not back down and run away! Confront him! Even if it meant death!" She took an aggressive step forward. "I'd do everything in my power to reason with him and _fight_ him if that failed!"

Jinn tilted her head upward with a haughty gesture as she quite literally looked down on her with a deep frown and glare. "…and therein lies the problem."

" _What?"_ Blake said as her word was marked with another change in visions.

The visions rushed from one to the other; one had two massive armies colliding, another had what looked like two villages placed next to each other beneath magic flinging through the air, and another depicted what looked like rulers being assailed by everyone around them. "Since the birth of humanity, humans have been at war with themselves, no doubt due to the conflicting nature of light and darkness held together in combined forms." The visions continuously shifted. A burning fire melting the very structures that made up several villages. Another, a broken battlefield filled with fallen warriors. Yet another where humans yelled at each other over all too familiar concerns. Then, an explosion of white light engulfed her.

The light receded and amidst the rubble, carnage, and conflict stood a white-haired man who had slammed his staff down into the ground. "Until _he_ came."

"He?"

The familiar light-blue eyes of the man told her the answer. His oddly humble robes tattered yet not poorly made. His bearded face and unkempt hair urged her to consider him some wise old ascetic who came out of nowhere. "The King." Jinn spoke. "The King had had enough of humanity's mindless squabbles. With all his wisdom, he immediately recognized the nature of the problem. Though knowledge was not his domain, it was his friend, and so he realized that for whatever potential humanity had, it remained locked away, and for the current moment, they needed to be guided."

Another vision. This one of towering walls, crowded streets, and celebrating people. "And so the King gave the people identity. A sense of belonging and place. A means of binding them together to help reduce the mindless conflicts they were prone to." The vision shifted, the light of the burning sun faded, and all went quiet. The people changed; no longer celebrating, their faces were filled with anger and sorrow. "Though even the King was not without darkness." There, before her was a row of people with nooses around their neck, hanging over the gallows, lifeless and still amidst a familiar cold, cutting wind.

"Justice," Jinn said, with a voice that indicated she was right behind her.

Blake jerked herself around to face her.

Jinn was still looking down at her, condescending expression and all. " _Real_ justice, Blake Belladonna. A concept granted upon the world as a means for man to know what is right and what is wrong."

Another shift. It was a large open room. There was a large round table in the center, with thirteen seats. The King stood in a place at the table that indicated he didn't have a seat. "Forgive me your majesty but what of the greater good?" An armored man yelled. "Is it not righteous to sacrifice one for the many?" The man slammed his fist on the table. "What is _one_ life to a thousand?"

She looked over to the King who was cold to the man's passioned argument. An all too familiar argument.

"Your majesty, please! I understand how you feel, bu—" The man composed himself. "Let's say there was a volcano, and a wicked god who demanded sacrifice, yet no one wished to die. What if, in that moment, someone came forward and suggested that one be sacrificed to save the rest. Is that not righteous?" He yelled.

Yet, the King remained cold. There was a pause. "You're right, Lancel. It is righteous—"

" _Thank you,_ your majest—"

"So long as the one who suggested the idea is the one sacrificed."

The King's words seemed to cut deep into the man named Lancel.

"Is that not literally what such a person is arguing? If one steps forward and argues that another should be sacrificed for the greater good, are they not, in fact, giving others consent to sacrifice _them_?"

Lancel tried to mouth words but none came. He sat down, quietly, somber in expression, and seemingly lost in thought.

"Let's not speak of sacrifice anymore, shall we? Sacrifice is inherently destructive." The King raised his left hand outward, keeping the staff planted on the ground. "This hall was built for the purposes of creation! So that we might make this world reach its true potential! _Creation_ is our weapon, not destruction!"

The vision came to a standstill. "Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good, Blake Belladonna?" Jinn said, her accusatory tone absent from her voice.

She turned to Jinn, noticing the still expression of the floating, chained giant. "I…" _Yes. If it meant making a difference, I'd gladly do it. But…_ "I don't count this as a sacrifice. I consider this _murder_. If you intend to spin whatever this is as a righteous act so that I may accept my fate, then you're wrong! There's so much work to be done _out there_ , and I'm not ready to leave yet! Besides, I hope you're not suggesting that I'd sacrifice others before myself."

Jinn sighed. "You're missing the point." The vision shifted again. It was almost like a time lapse. A small settlement slowly shifting into a castle, then a castle with a village, then a sprawling city that slowly expanded—growing larger and richer. "The King was wise. Wise in ways that no one else was—save for his comrades."

Another shift. This time, a black haired man with a scruffy beard and a torn blackened cloak was walking through the wilderness, being followed by hungry children. She looked at the man and noticed his eye color. Just like her own. Though he wasn't a faunus, she began to wonder if these concepts they supposedly embodied had certain preferences. The Huntsman didn't look like her though she couldn't brush it off as mere coincidence.

"No," The Huntsman said harshly, as he walked off down the grassy road between thickened trees beneath a shadowy canopy in the middle of the night.

"Please, please, _please!_ " The girl said. "We're so hungry!" A boy said. "Don't you have some food to feed us?" Another said. "You're so strong! You _must_ have some left over from your hunts!" Yet another said.

He continued his walk. "And why would I do that?"

" _Please mister!_ We'll die if you don't!"

He stopped in place. After a pause he turned around and looked at them. His expression was contemplative. "Would you follow me for a bit?"

Their faces lit up. They obviously assumed he capitulated and would be taken to get food. And so they followed him. They followed him into a wide set of bushes big enough to hide in as he kneeled down on one knee, motioning them to follow. They did. "Do you see that deer over there?"

The children nodded. "Cook it right to avoid getting sick. Make sure to kill it with a single, powerful, yet not too damaging strike to get the most out of it. He turned around, still on one knee, nodding over to his side. "Do you see those plants over there?"

"I thought you were going to feed us…" One of them pouted.

"That large fruit over there is poisonous, but if you drain the juices, and dry it out over a low heat it's edible. Any flame will do. Do you know how to start a small fire?"

They nodded slowly. "We do so every night, so we don't have to be afraid of the dark." One of them said.

He nodded to another area, one that looked like it had a variety of herbs. "The red-tipped one is good for when your stomach is feeling bad. The tree bark over there, directly behind that red-tipped plant can be used to relieve all sorts of pain. Just peel away a bit of the bark and bite down on it a little bit and maybe even suck on it."

"But…why not just feed us? If you know so much, surely you have _some_ food stashed away?" One of the boys asked.

"And what if I die? What happens when all the food runs out?" As soon as the children looked down, defeated, he smiled and rubbed a few of their heads. "Far easier to just teach you to do it yourself so you don't have to rely on such what ifs."

They held their heads up and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Now, you can leave and continue begging or you can follow me for a little while. You'll be fed of course. The first few times will be rough, but if you stick around, I think you'll be quite surprised," He said with a gentle smile.

They all smiled and nodded.

"And so it was. The children eventually grew up to be self-sufficient and dependable. They also learned how to lean on one another and to cover for the weaknesses of their friends." The vision shifted with each of the now grown up children all wandering in different directions. "Eventually, each one of them would stumble upon their own problems, still in touch with their childhood friends. And whenever they were lost or broken, they each swore to themselves that they would strive to learn and to grow, and to seek help when they needed it."

The familiar blue mist shifted passed her, painting another picture. This time, the Huntsman stood before a band of brigands, each armed and ready to fight. And so they did. Each one of them was either faster, stronger, more powerful in magic, or more deceptive than the Huntsman, yet the Huntsman still won. With almost perfect timing, he turned their weaknesses against each other. The faster one was outsmarted, the stronger one was outmaneuvered, and the magic one was overpowered. All that was left was the deceptive one—now all alone—as he fled without anyone to cover for him.

"That was the key strength of the Huntsman," Jinn said, right behind her. "He understood the nature of things. He understood perspective. There was a power to that. A power which gave him the keys to victory, even against his betters."

She shook her head slowly. "I don't understand. Why are you showing me this?"

Everything faded to white. "Combined together with the focused power of the Berserker and with the power to choose between light and darkness embodied by the Warrior, the four of them were invincible. Each one of them were not only powerful in arms, but in their understanding of the world. Only they could confront the gods as equals, mayhap not in raw power, but in what actually mattered. But the gods are not ones to be challenged. Their existence, a necessity.

A blue mist washed over and passed her, taking with it the whiteness and replacing it with the Domain of Light again. Salem stood before the brother gods with an arrogant grin across her face, and behind her were the four. She had only seen the King and the Huntsman—they stood there behind Salem—yet that was all she needed to know who the other two were; the blonde hair and red eyes of Freya, and the blackish red hair of the Warrior also standing behind Salem. "Had Salem beseeched the four in place of the common mortal…"

A blue wind brushed by, erasing the picture, and painting another one. Her eyes went wide with terror. The clouds exploded with unnatural lightning. The land blackened, and before her were the brother gods—mutilated and dead upon the ground of a broken Domain of Light. Their godly blood bleeding over its remnants.

"Something like that wouldn't happen. People such as them weren't frivolous enough to challenge the gods over Salem's inability to accept the passing of Ozma! And there's no way Freya would be that reckless! They wouldn't _be_ that powerful had they been!"

A pause as Jinn returned to her contemptuous gaze. "So you will continue to stand defiant, then?"

Blake stared directly into her eyes. "Yes. I get now why they were special. I still don't agree that we deserve to die just because we refuse to be blindly loyal to your creators!"

Jinn sighed. "Then perhaps another approach is needed."

* * *

Cinder leaned against the wall of a claustrophobic white room, fidgeting with her leg, arms crossed. Em looked a bit worried, though she knew it was irrational. Mercury was going to be fine. Thanks to being one of the "good guys" now, they had access to a number of benefits.

"So…what do we do now?" Em asked, sitting in a small chair across from her. They were the only ones there.

She herself requested as such, given what they might talk about. "Something's wrong. I can feel it."

"You mean the storm?"

"That thing was there the whole time while Owain was around and it didn't vanish when he escaped with Albus. It disappeared the moment Haven was destroyed. Not a moment sooner and not a moment later. That's definitely not natural."

"So what are we gonna do about it?" Em said as she leaned back, letting her head rest against the white wall.

Cinder took a gander at the painting of Atlas at a distance that was placed above Emerald's head. _What are the chances that we'd find useful information here in Atlas?_ "Well, first thing's first. We wait for Mercury to get out." _No, even though I'm no longer the villain, there were still plenty of people who'd recognize me, and they won't be keen on letting any sensitive info slip._

And so they waited. An hour passed and she just kept fidgeting, letting her dark flames of worry, anger, and frustration flicker on and off in the palm of her right hand as she kept it open as if waiting desperately to receive something.

Then another hour passed and _finally_ , Mercury was sent out with one of the surgeons pushing him by the back of the wheelchair as he looked surprisingly in good spirits as he rolled out into the waiting room with his characteristic smirk—hands held behind his head. "Were you worried about me?"

She rolled her eyes and forced away the smile. She looked over to the surgeon. "So?"

"Mr. Black will make a full recovery. His spinal cord has been replaced wherever necessary with state of the art Atlas tech meant to not only replace the original but strengthen the whole spine beyond its original capacity. That being said, he'll slowly need to build up his old strength before the recovery process will be complete. I'd say, avoid any strenuous activity for two weeks or so while still making sure he gets a healthy dose of exercise, and he'll be better than ever."

"Gotcha doc," Merc said.

"I understand," Cinder said. "Do you mind if we had some privacy?"

The surgeon nodded. "Of course." He walked off down a hallway and into another room. A few of the other surgeons remained behind in the surgery room. It would have to do.

Mercury rolled up closer to them. "So what now?"

"We wait till you recover. Stick to finding information indirectly."

"What about Owain? He's still out there, you know? And thanks to what Raven told us, we know he's severely weakened. There's only so much soul left for him to sacrifice!" Merc said.

"You're right," She said.

"Any idea where he went?" Em asked.

She shook her head. "Only that he escaped with Albus away from Mistral. He could be anywhere given the fact that Albus can create portals." She stared off into space. "Either way, when next we meet, we'll beat him." She crushed the dark flames in the palm of her hand. "Even the embodiment of strength has his limits."

* * *

Yang fidgeted in her seat in the white and blue waiting room of stainless walls and marble tiled floors. Mom sat beside her. Dad and Ruby were away, gathering the materials for her gauntlets so she could repair them. As well as shopping for clothes. They had taken an airship all the way to Atlas at Ironwood's behest. She looked straight ahead into the surgery room. Mercury was in there.

She thought of her "new" brother. Now knowing the truth about him certainly took away a lot of the bite, but that just left that nagging question: _what the hell happened to them over there?_ What would drive her to go so far so as to sacrifice most of her soul? It couldn't be so simple as him simply overusing it over small scuffles here and there, could it?

It had been a few days since she awoke in Blake's room in Menagerie. Apparently, Ghira had it made just in case Blake ever returned to them back when she first left them to stay within the White Fang. In those few days, she would often wake up in a sweat with her eyes flared red. She felt no rage or anything; just a small, almost completely unnoticeable numbness _somewhere_ she couldn't quite figure out. _Probably my soul, if I had to guess_.

"By the way," Mom said quietly as she slouched in her seat with her arms behind her head. "What are you going to do with the shards of Lone Talon?"

"Hm?" That reminded her. She smiled as she thought of Blake again. She wanted a new weapon, didn't she? She herself wasn't much of a katana wielder, but Blake was. Maybe… "You think you could help out in designing a new weapon?" Would she like one as long as Lone Talon?

Mom raised an eyebrow. "You're not thinking about using a katana, are you?"

She chuckled. "Nah. Sorry Mom," she said in jest.

"Then who's it for? Blake?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Not sure what the design's gonna be just yet." A thought of Owain intruded into her mind. "By the way," she said with a quieter tone. "Has _he_ contacted you by any chance?"

Mom looked forward and looked like she was thinking. "No. Not that he could. Didn't exactly give him my scroll number. Besides, not a good idea. No one knows what really happened except us. Well, except for Jaune, but he's been keeping the secret."

She looked down. "I know…"

"This whole thing is still bothering me, but I understand how you feel. The problem is the others. Save for Qrow and Jaune, well…you know what I'm gonna say."

"Yeah, yeah, no I know. Just worried about him is all." What is he doing right now? The thought of it actually bothered her. Not in a bad way, but because she was actually curious as to what he'd be doing given what she found out about him. Hopefully he wasn't just wasting away in a bed somewhere.

"Miss Xiao Long?" The doctor said.

She sighed. "Well, wish me luck!" She said as she got up and walked toward the surgery room. As she passed the doctor, the door closed behind her, and she walked off toward where the doctor directed her. "By the way, how's Mercury Black doing?"

"His surgery is finished and went perfectly."

"Good, thanks." She wondered what Mercury would say to her if he found out it was essentially her that severed his spine. She remembered how she thought she broke his leg back at the Vytal Festival. Though this time it wasn't a set up and he couldn't just get back up again.

She walked to the double doors leading to her surgery room, eyeing Emerald and Cinder through a crack in a door to another room as she walked through the doors.

The doctor directed her further in. "Don't worry, Miss Xiao Long. We'll be sure to give you the very best we can offer. It's the least we can do for a legendary huntress such as yourself! Especially after your success in Mistral stopping that tyrannical governor!"

"Yeah, thanks!" She said. There was a slight instant where she might have stuttered a bit, feeling a bit of shame at the lie only four of them knew the truth about. But it didn't matter. He was out of Mistral and not wasting his time as governor. So long as he didn't doing anything else stupid, it didn't matter.

* * *

Owain walked down the dirt path through the heavy, sand-filled wind in the midst of dusk. The clattering sign at the top of the tavern smacking against it as it threatened to fall over. People glanced at him, but otherwise payed him no mind. He walked closer to the tavern as a few of the former customers cautiously fled the place, slowly entering their cars and bikes, driving off into the sunset. He was in the right place alright. The bandits around the place ignored him for now, but just to be sure, he made sure his scarf hid his face well enough. He stepped into the dark brown, wooden-built tavern out in the middle of nowhere—supposedly popular with travelers due to its wide selection of alcohol and pitstop-esque nature.

"Welcome!" The bartender said, clearly nervous.

He walked up beside a man with a light brown mullet. He acknowledged his presence as he sat down beside him. The man had a missing tooth and seemed to be surprisingly sober. In fact, he eyed him a second time only to find him familiar. _Well, well, who would of thought…_

"You're in the wrong place, pal." Shay said.

"Oh?" He said. "What, you bandits have this place held hostage or something?"

"Bandits?" Shay laughed. "We're not bandits!" He spun the stool over to face him, holding the beer tightly with his right hand as his mouth grew into a big grin. "We're mercenaries! The most powerful mercenary group in the _world!_ "

"I thought that was the New Dawn." He said, knowing full well what his words would result in.

Shay's eyes narrowed and his grin vanished. The bar got quiet. "Probably shouldn't mention that name around here, fella."

"Why not?" He looked off to the side. "Though I do suppose they're not technically mercenaries anymore, are they?" He looked back to Shay. "Who and where's your boss?"

Shay clearly signaled a few of the others over to him. "Who's asking?"

"A potential recruit."

That surprised him. "Really?"

"I'm looking for a place to stay, and a place to lay low. Someone like me has a bit of a record, and though I thought you bandits, mercenary work does sound better to be quite frank."

"Shay!" a womanly voice shouted. "That's enough."

Owain turned over to the voice, revealing an azure-haired woman sitting off in the corner, wearing blackened leathers. Her hair was rather well done as it was kept in a long ponytail with a long strand of it going down and across her face. "And to whom am I speaking to?"

"The _boss_."

 _Curious. I don't recognize her._ He stood up and walked over to her.

She held up a hand. "I don't recall giving you permission to approach.

He stopped in place. "I apologize. I simply assumed."

"Then don't assume," she asserted. She lowered her hand and motioned him over to sit.

He did so.

"How did you find us?" She asked, holding up the mug closer to her mouth. He noticed Shay and a few of the others walk up beside and behind her.

"I'm well acquainted with how your tribe behaves. Well, when it was led by Raven."

She leaned in. "Are you a huntsman? Because if you are, you do understand what'll happen if you join us, right? We may be legal now, but that doesn't erase our reputation."

"No, no. Let's just say I used to be a member quite some time ago."

Her brow furrowed.

Shay scoffed. "That's a lie. Never heard his voice before and I've been around for "quite some time" myself," he said with a smirk.

"Would you mind taking off your scarf? I'd like to see the face of the new recruit I may or may not hire," the boss said.

 _Not like they could recognize me. Though it does add a trail. So be it._ He took it off and tossed the scarf off to the side of the table by the window. Shay and a few of the others' eyes opened wide with surprise. He glanced over at Shay who seemed to be the most surprised, turning his attention back to the boss. _Then again…_

Her expression turned serious. "I don't recall Raven having a son."

He smiled. Odd that the name would do that to him. A good sign he supposed. "Raven's a complicated person."

She nodded over to his right side. "Happened to the arm?"

"Lost it in a violent scuffle. Won't slow me down."

"How well do you know Raven?"

 _Time to gamble a little._ "Well, you said the word yourself. Give her a call and tell her that her son is here, and she'll be happy to confirm."

She took out her scroll—keeping straight eye contact with him with a deadpan expression—as she dialed it without looking and held it up to her ear. A moment passed. Then another. Then, "Hello, Raven?" She leaned back again. "Long time no talk! Hey listen! Someone's here asking to join in on the tribe. Yeah. Yeah, think you know him. Claims to be your son and looks an awful lot like a certain someone."

" _That idiot!"_ Raven yelled from the other side loudly enough to hear. He even heard a sigh as the boss returned the scroll to her ear.

"It is? Well I'll be damned. I must say that I'm really surprised you kept something like that secret from everyone. Mmhmm. I see." She held the scroll to him. "Your mother wants to talk to you."

He took it and held it up to his ear. He found himself smiling. "Hello, _mom_."

"Oh don't you mom me you little—" She sighed. "What are you _doing?_ "

"Laying low, what else?"

"By trying to join a well known mercenary group?" She shouted in a whisper.

"And who besides you and a few others close to you knows my little track record?"

"Ugh."

"I'll be fine. If you're worried about people finding out then don't. I'm sure the tribe can keep a secret."

"Put Azure back on the line."

He gave the woman back her scroll.

A few more moments passed with the woman listening intently. "I'll be sure to tell no one." She hung up, pocketing her scroll. She turned her head over to the others. "Listen up!" She shouted. "This man will be joining us as our newest recruit! And _no one's_ to know who he's related to, got that? If anyone knew, we'd be in a whole lot of trouble according to our ol' dear leader."

* * *

Ilia paced back and forth amidst the anxious group of high-ranking members talking amongst each other in the middle of large boulder-esque rubble which came from the Upper City. She called Blake's scroll again and it rang and rang, but there was still no answer. "Where are you?" She said under her breath. She stared up at the gaping hole of their headquarters that was made with the collapsed platform falling down over them. She jerked her head to the side in response to Sun's sprint over to her. "Anything?"

Sun looked to the side solemnly. "Nothing. No one seems to know anything. Blake never made it back to Haven so Ghira and the others have no idea where she might be."

She sighed and continued her pacing. "There's no way she's dead. She can't be."

"She's not," Sun affirmed. "What about that Frost fella? The one Blake said we should look out for. She met with Blake, didn't she?"

"You're right, but unfortunately we don't have enough available teams of high enough skill to send out on a mission of that magnitude given that Blake said Frost might have been a high-ranking member."

"Guys!" Someone shouted.

Ilia looked over to the direction the man who shouted looked at in dismay. "Oh no." It was Nero. Wearing a sleeker version of his usual black outfit trimmed with gold. His mask was replaced with a sleek biker-esque helmet that exposed the back of his head.

"Members of the White Fang!" Nero shouted. He was completely alone. "I ask that you give your affirmation that you will leave Mistral as soon as possible!"

"And why would we do that?" Ilia yelled as she walked passed the others. It was possible—here in the midst of a shattered headquarters—that other Black Claw members were skulking about in the shadows.

"Your leader is dead, regrettably, and I can't have the White Fang around anymore to slow me down! You _will_ leave."

 _Liar!_ Not unless he had something to do with Blake going missing. She gritted her teeth and shot him a glare. "And if we don't?" If he did, then she'll get her revenge.

"Can I definitely say that the question is rhetorical, and you are refusing?"

Sun scoffed. "For someone so smart, you sure suck at reading between the lines!" She noticed Sun's expression twisted into a concern she immediately recognized.

"Nero!" She stepped closer to him. "How do you know Blake is dead?"

"I'm not sure how much she's told you about her nature, but as the Huntress, encountering the Gift of Knowledge means death, and that is exactly what happened. She's _dead_ , and with that the only thing holding me back is gone, and so I ask you again, but in another way: "Shall this turn into a blood bath?"

She clenched her fists and grabbed her weapon. They didn't have the resources to leave even if they wanted to! "Everyone! Get ready to take him down!" She shouted.

Sun leaped up to him with his gunchucks in their staff form as Nero held out his right arm as a blade of flaming energy formed around it.

 _Dust?_ She thought.

Before Sun could reach him, he was tackled by a flaming clone of Nero that exploded.

"Sun!" She yelled. When she turned her gaze over to Nero, he was gone, and she felt a sharp decline in her aura as she was pushed back with what would have been a lethal attack without her aura as Nero stood before her.

"I've killed you once before, Ilia. Don't make me kill you again," Nero said, slowly approaching her.

"What?" She said, confused. In the corner of her eye, she saw a few of the White Fang charge at him through the air with a silence and grace she had come to expect from them these days. Though in her peripheral, Nero was already well aware of the attack and spun around with a series of shadowy afterimages which seemed to triple the number of his strikes as all three of them were struck down with his flaming blade.

The rest of them fired their guns at a distance as she had to dodge and back away as every bullet phased through him as he made his way slowly over to them, blade extended out, ready for a cutting blow. _There has to be a limit!_ She thought. If there wasn't, they were screwed!

Sun coughed and rushed over to her. "What do we do? Nero's not fooling around anymore." He seemed out of it. Like his mind was elsewhere.

 _Oh Blake…_ She violently shook her head and reaffirmed herself. "Stand ready. We fend him off and run if we can't! Worst case scenario, we find a way to Menagerie."

Sun nodded and formed his gunchucks.

 _No way you're dead! We'll find you Blake! Don't you worry!_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Well! Got it done! Between outlining, stressing out, remembering why I wanted to write this, and getting rekt by Tempered Deviljho and Arch-tempered Vaal Hazak, I finished! I'm planning to keep the chapters of the arc shorter than Yang's arc, rather than focusing on reaching an arbitrary word count, because good lord that was rough! Anyways! Thanks to everyone that previously reviewed, and of course, I hope you enjoy!


	25. Blake's Arc Chapter 2

**The White Huntress**

 **Chapter 2 – If I stayed**

 **Author's Note:** So there was a _glaring_ error that I somehow missed despite my many read throughs at the beginning of Blake's pov that I went in and fixed.

* * *

Sun heard the grunts of a few of the White Fang members writhing from their wounds inflicted upon them by Nero. He didn't know who was dead or who was alive. Everything had went quiet all of a sudden. Nero seemed to be passive at the moment. He couldn't tell if he was being cautious or if he thought he didn't have to take them seriously. It both irked and relieved him given how unprepared they were for his sudden invasion.

He took a long gander all around him; bits and pieces of rubble trickled down from the broken ceiling, letting in a few rays of the bright orange evening light. Cracks lined practically every one of the ivory-colored columns in the white-stoned courtyard of shattered tiles as the remaining, uninjured White Fang members spread themselves out around their archenemy, aiming their guns at him as he returned to his place on high with flaming blade formed in his right hand and his left on his hip. He almost felt like coughing from all the dust in the air, though there wasn't enough to cloud anyone's vision except maybe for those with poor sight.

Nero lowered his head, clearly looking down at them. His sleek black helmet with darkened visor still hiding the face he never showed though thanks to Blake he knew exactly what he looked like. A low, howling wind picked up. The tails of his darkened coat lined with bits of white and gold swayed. "One last chance." There was a long pause with no response, nor did any of them intend to. "Surrender."

Sun shot him a glare; one he didn't care if it got acknowledged or not. He gripped his staff tightly. He didn't want to be the first to charge though he would if he had to. Wasting his aura on clones that would probably amount to nothing wasn't something he was keen on doing. _Gotta do something about that broken semblance of his,_ he thought.

Ilia ran up to him. "So, any ideas?"

He never took his gaze off the man. "Nope. Nothing except keep attacking and hope that we find some sort of window where he's solid. There's no way he's truly untouchable."

"I was thinking about using light against him. Moving him into pure darkness and fighting him there, but he just jumped back up top the rubble," Ilia said quietly.

He snorted. "Yeah, given our past encounters with him, he's probably too smart for that."

Nero turned his head over to the two of them. "You two are standing in place for Blake now that she's dead. Would you really throw the lives of all these faunus away?"

"Don't you _dare_ say that!" Ilia shouted.

Sun slammed the bottom end of his staff into the ground beside him, placing a fist on his right hip. "That's up to you!" He frowned. "No one is forcing you to kill us or anyone for that matter. That's a choice you're making, and you don't have to make it."

Nero scoffed, jerking his head to the side as if wanting to spit. "Choice." He said mockingly. "Don't give me that nonsense." He looked back to them. "Our decisions are molded by the experiences we find ourselves in. Those experiences are not within our control. Thus, who we are and what we do is set in stone."

Ilia stepped forward. "Quite the determinist, aren't you? How's that helpful to the faunus?" She shot him a glare. "You know, I don't think you actually give a damn about the faunus. Or anyone for that matter."

He looked straight ahead, tilting his head upward as he let out a laugh. It was a low laugh. One that didn't seem like it was intended to mock. "And that's quite the accusation you throw at me. Not far off, however. Not to say that I don't care, but these hands of mine are far too specialized, too…bloodied to fit the role of a leader shining in the light. That was Blake's role." He looked to them again. "And now that's she's dead, all that remains is our darkness."

The hair on the back of Sun's neck tingled as he ducked beneath Nero's sudden attack as he vanished into shadows; Nero's true body charged him—readying a swing—as he brought up his staff, blocking the attack. His staff blocked nothing however as Nero faded—another version of him slicing him on the side as he flew through the air. As he flipped and landed he pondered on the dude's sudden aggression. He was so passive before! He balked at the thought of Blake's death and Nero's words. He noticed Nero and Ilia had engaged in a brutally quick exchange as she suffered from the same maneuvers he had.

The two of them took turns taking hits from Nero's unpredictable attacks. A feint followed by the real him, the real him feinting a feint only for it to be a real attack, clones distracting them and throwing them off—everything he did ignored their defenses, and so Sun and Ilia took hits for each other to save on aura while they tried to find _something_ they could use. This was it. This had to be it. What were the chances that Nero would just flee the moment they lost? No. No, this was a do or die moment. They would either defeat Nero here or die.

* * *

Blake found herself back in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but the familiar canvas of perfect white. "How many more visions are you going to show me?"

Jinn simply smiled her cocksure smile. "Just one more. I have _one_ particular vision I'd like to show you. Don't forget, but my primary purpose is to keep you here till you expire. Nothing more. However, since you and your friends have achieved so much and managed to stop Salem, I'll give you a chance."

"Whatever it is, it won't make a difference. I'm not whatever you think I am. Rather, I won't become what you think I will. I'm _not_ that kind of person."

Jinn leaned in quite closely; a foot away from her face. "You're special Blake. But not _that_ special."

Blake rolled her eyes. "How generous of you. So what's the chance? What vision do you want to show me?"

Her smile widened. "The truth behind Nero's identity."

Her eyes went wide, and her mouth went agape. " _What?_ "

"One final vision Blake. If you are still certain and unfazed after witnessing it, then I'll let you go free. If however, I am unsatisfied, then I will return to my duty, and you will die here." She leaned in closer to the point where they were face to face. "So ask the question, then. Let's make this traditional."

Blake scanned her expression, eager to ask the question, but cautious about her intentions. Though there wasn't exactly much she could do about it, and besides… "Nero. Who is he?" It was the question that burned in the back of her mind, pulsating from time to time when she was focused on other things. "Tell me _everything_ about him!" Whether she was stuck here or not, she didn't want to waste this opportunity.

The blue mist blew past her into a burning village, flames billowing around every building, people in poorly stitched clothing fleeing from black armored soldiers with teal tabards bearing dust-tipped staves shooting people down from the tips.

"The soul and the physical body are not one in the same," Jinn said. "The latter is but a vessel for the former. And it can take a variety of forms. In a parallel world, for example, a tall person might be short, a human may be born a faunus, a person born to wealth might end up born to poverty instead."

Loud cries erupted from a nearby building. Familiar cries. She rushed inside. Her expression shifted to one of morbid surprise at the sight of familiar faunus—beaten and bloodied—fighting off a few of those soldiers. "Mom? Dad?" Dad wore a simple brown tunic with pants, and Mom wore a similarly colored blouse as she aimed her bow and arrow at the soldiers; the both of them looked like they had been working in the fields and they looked…emaciated. _You've got to be kidding me,_ she thought as one very specific thought crashed its way deep into her mind. She jerked her eyes over to a silhouette in the corner of her eye. It was Sienna Khan, who's clothing was more elaborate, almost identical to what she was familiar with, though there were a few differences.

Namely, that Sienna had a few scars on her face she wasn't familiar with. "Come on! What are you two waiting for?" Sienna yelled.

"There's no time!" Dad said, trying to hold off against the seemingly unnatural might of the soldier. Mom fired her bow, but the arrows failed her, ricocheting off their dark armor. Dad grunted, pushing against the soldier harder and harder. "Go to the nursery and get him out of here!"

" _Him?_ " Blake said aloud, the invader within her mind now growing ever stronger. When Sienna reluctantly fled, she followed, hoping that this was all some sort of joke spun just to mess with her. Jinn's way of toying with her and her emotions.

"And a person born a girl…" Jinn said as Blake slowly entered the burning nursery choking with blackened smoke as Sienna fought through the dark haze and flames to a cradle with a crying baby. "Might have been born a boy instead," Jinn finished as Blake's heart rate increased. She got light-headed, and her breath became shallow.

The sound of the wood breaking and crumbling, the flames crackling and roaring not unlike a crashing waterfall, and Sienna's coughing almost made her miss the name. "Hold on, Nero," Sienna said, picking the baby up.

She clenched her fists. She tried to push away the flood of thoughts that broke down the dam of her focus, though she managed to ground herself in the present moment. _Watch_ , she told herself, again and again. She watched Sienna clutch her infant self. With the baby in her arms, Sienna fled through a clearing in the rubble of the building as more soldiers swarmed where her parents were. Sounds of explosions and screaming blew through the air as she winced her eyes shut.

Sienna ran and ran, away from the flames, the soldiers, and the village—all without ever taking her eyes off her current path. She calmed Nero here and there, especially when he cried. As dusk turned to night, Sienna stopped for a breather, hidden in the midst of tall trees and the shadows of a canopy. "Don't worry," Sienna said. "I'll make sure you'll be safe and sound from now on." She solemnly smiled. "It's just you and me now, Nero."

"And so it was," Jinn said, nowhere to be found. The only sign of her existence was her disembodied voice. Images flashed passed her, depicting their lives together. Sienna teaching Nero how to read, feeding him, scolding him, and not surprisingly, teaching him the ways of the world from _her_ perspective.

That brought her to a cabin in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere, surrounded by nothing but tall trees that extended out for miles. The light of the moon in the cloudless sky shined through the windows as she saw Nero sat down at a desk on the second floor with a few books splayed out in front of him. She traipsed toward him, unable to stop her expression from scrunching up with sorrow and wonder.

His young, cute expression did not help the writhing storm of emotions churning within her chest. "So there's nothing we can do about it?" Nero innocently asked as he squirmed a little in his highchair, reading a children's book on world history.

"No. The law of the Emperor and Empress is absolute," Sienna said. "And unfortunately, our people don't benefit much from their regime. They do nothing to stop the humans."

Blake took a long look at the images within the children's book. The page he was on depicted two beings—a couple—holding hands as their free hands were raised outward. The man was surrounded by darkness and the woman was surrounded by light.

Nero looked like he wanted to say something. He pouted.

Sienna smiled warmly as she approached him, resting a hand on his shoulder in the dim light of the lamp on the redwood desk. "What is it?"

"That doesn't seem right to me, Mom."

It was strange to hear herself say that word about Sienna of all people. But…it did make perfect sense given the circumstances.

"Our people." Sienna clenched her fists. "Our people are _constantly_ being blamed for the World Empire's misfortunes." She sighed. "And your father tried and tried to reason with the humans—even forming a movement—to fight against the discrimination." She turned away and walked toward the window, taking a deep, long gaze out of it.

 _So it was the same, even here,_ Blake thought.

Nero looked down, defeated. "So he failed?"

"Indeed he did. But it wasn't his fault. He was reasonable, kind, and good. _They_ weren't, however. He tried and tried, but only a minority of them saw us for who we really were."

"There must be _something_ we can do," Nero said with a hopeful expression that could only make Blake smile. Though that smile mutated into a glare Blake couldn't quite help, that was directed at Sienna for knowing exactly what she was about to tell him.

Sienna turned to him. "Words don't work. Not in this world. Everyone's in chains and everyone is ruled by fear. That's this world's only form of money."

"You said the same nonsense back on Remnant," Blake said in an accusatory tone, knowing full well Sienna couldn't hear her.

"The Twilight Arm—the official military force of the Empire are a bunch of hypocrites and the Emperor and Empress do _nothing_ to stop the corruption within their ranks!" Sienna turned back to the window and gazed out of it again, resting her left hand against its side. "I've been meaning to do something about it."

"Like what?" Nero said. He didn't seem to understand the weight of her words; what she was suggesting and what she wanted. He only understood that she was angry—mad at the Empire. Mad at the Twilight Arm. Mad at the world.

"Resurrect the Black Claw, restore your father's legacy, but do it right this time. He was too kindhearted for this world, but I'm not."

Nero looked down with a somber expression. He looked back at Sienna. "But I thought being kind was a good thing?"

Sienna turned around and smiled. "Oh honey." She walked towards him and laid her hand on his shoulder. "It is! It's just that…" She sighed. "Some people are _so_ bad that they are a lost cause. They only understand one thing, and unfortunately, there are too many of them in the world right now." She kneeled and stared at him directly in the eyes. "Which is why I intend to do something about it." Her smile widened. "It's my hope you'll join me one day."

Nero beamed. "Of course, Mom!"

Blake's anger rose within her. She shook her head in condemnation at Sienna. She understood her, her reasons, _why_ she saw things the way she did, but still! To bring Nero into it? To not let him make his own decisions, form his own views without his worldview being colored by Sienna's? It made her so mad that this is what happened!

The vision suddenly shifted. She saw Nero reach adolescence. "Years passed." Jinn said. "Sienna reformed the Black Claw just as she said she would." Blake saw flashes of rows and rows of faunus lining up through the center to join the organization. Those who joined would tattoo their sternums with the black claw symbol that was often seen on the banners of the group; the black claw atop a golden banner that lined the halls of whatever place Sienna chose as their base. Sienna stood atop it all, on her own throne as if _she_ was an empress.

"The faunus of the world saw the Black Claw as an opportunity; an opportunity for revenge, for a new home, for safety. Even though it was a secretive organization where the members would communicate only in the deepest secrecy, known only to each other by their tattoos, it spread far and wide through the criminal underground—the only way it _could_ spread without drawing the watchful eye of the World Empire's rulers," Jinn said.

Blake saw Nero at Sienna's side, though he never tattooed himself. "Nero had yet to formally join," Jinn continued. "One day, Sienna would tell him. When he's older, and more experienced. Till then, she bid him only watch. Get to know his brothers and sisters." The vision shifted again. "But that wouldn't stop Nero from getting involved in his own way. He would join with other faunus who had yet to join the Black Claw, and he would follow them, talk to them, rile them up, get them to act out as per what he thought his mother would want."

"They would stage violent demonstrations—careful to keep their focus on the outskirts of the Empire where the ever watchful eye of its rulers was at its most peripheral." Jinn continued as she saw these riots and fights break out before her eyes. Within what seemed to be a rundown, technologically void city in the midst of dusk, humans wearing ragged clothes threw bottles, fruit, rocks, and some of them who bore pipes, bats, and crowbars would swing them at the faunus.

Some of the humans would taunt the faunus, and sometimes Nero would rush in to throw a punch or two. And he would always end up with a black eye or worse. Rarely did any of the other faunus help. When they did, the fight would always escalate and one of them would always end up dead.

"And after every failed rally, after every altercation, after every assault, Nero would always look up at the spire that housed the rulers. A symbol of power," Jinn continued.

Blake looked at Nero's burning expression. She knew _exactly_ what he was thinking. She would have thought the same thing. Ever since she joined Beacon Academy as a huntress, she wanted to do more than just fight for faunus rights. She had no idea how, nor where to even begin, but she knew; she _knew_ that discrimination was simply a symptom of a much larger problem.

From what she could gather, the world was under a global dictatorship, and she had an inkling of who ruled it, but more importantly, it was a symbol of a way of thinking that didn't have much ground on Remnant. Not like this. Not at this level.

"The spire that symbolized the undeniable fact that _fear_ was this world's only god," Jinn said.

She couldn't help but gaze at herself with a sorrowful expression. She had an overpowering urge to hug him, to tell him there was a better way, that the world wasn't doomed to travel down a road of hate.

"Ignoring the discrimination the faunus faced, the world had little crime. Uprisings were rare. People had food and housing, running water, and _some_ electricity. All in all, it wasn't a terrible place to live…if one ignored the proverbial chains they were bound by. So long as people obeyed the Twilight Arm, everything would be fine," Jinn said. The vision shifted again, revealing another altercation where Nero was ganged up on by a few humans. He was beaten, battered, and bloodied. She tried to reach out for him like a protective older sister as one of them brought down a bat at him, but in that moment, Nero lurched backward, leaving behind a shadow clone. He reflexively ran, letting it take the blow in his place.

"That was the moment that truly set Nero on his path," Jinn said as Blake watched Nero run away with the speed of a cat running away from a poacher as the humans chased him down with a murderous rage. Suddenly, she was jerked into another vision as the blue mist flew past her to show Nero and Sienna.

"That's amazing, Nero! Do you know what this means?" Sienna said, placing both her hands on each of his shoulders, kneeling down in front of him with a big grin.

"What, Mom?"

"You are special. It's incredibly rare for people to show such power. Many people believe that it's a gift to those chosen by the Emperor and Empress. To think that you would have it!" Sienna's face turned stern. "Listen, my son. You must cultivate this gift. Grow stronger in it. Train with it. You must master it. With it, we'll be able to do so much good in this world! For the faunus."

Nero grinned. "I will, Mom!"

Blake could only shake her head in disapproval.

"Your semblance is special, Blake," Jinn said to her, like a loud whisper, as if directly into her ear. "What you always considered a representation of your cowardice was nothing more that a seal on your potential."

"What?" She said as the vision shifted again, showing an older Nero—still a teenager—but of similar age when _she_ first joined Beacon Academy. He was training, _hard_. He was covered in sweat and was completely exhausted.

"It had been only a few short years, but through an obsessive focus on furthering his semblance—latching on to the words of his mother, Nero experimented—again and again—with this strange rare power that most in the world were ignorant to. With no academies to teach them, the people who _did_ have this power had only themselves to aid them," Jinn said.

Nero made clone after shadow clone. He some how managed to make them last longer. They didn't fade as quick. They _would_ fade of course. "Nero wondered what he could do with these clones. One day, while messing around, he had discovered that one of his clones faded in an odd fashion. It had dissipated downwards, seemingly into the ground. He noticed the connection immediately. Because it didn't just fade into the ground, but into the shadows."

Blake saw Nero cautiously walk toward the spot where his clone faded, and kneeled in front of it, feeling the spot where it vanished. "He discovered that he could still feel his clone, as if it was still present. He found himself connected to this very spot—this zone of shadow that now seemingly held his clone. But, nothing came of it. It was a feeling, but no more."

 _Could this be—_ Blake's thought was interrupted by the creaking of a door and it slamming shut.

"Not a good idea to burn away all your power like that," a young woman said. It was a girl with a mane of red hair and familiar horns, and an eyepatch on her right eye. She wore the blackened armor with the teal tabard she had seen the soldiers wear.

"Adam?" Blake said. She had completely forgotten about him. Or her in this case. Though perhaps she should have expected this. A distant dread reared itself from the back of her mind, forcing its way to the forefront. _Hopefully, just_ hopefully, _things might be different for him,_ she thought.

Nero turned around to face the girl. "Easy for you to say. You get all the benefits of working for the Empire. When was the last time you strained yourself?"

She scoffed and walked toward him, pushing herself off the onyx-colored wall that looked to be made of some sort of granite. "I do have it easy." She stopped a foot away from him. "Whenever a human breaks the law, _I_ get to be the one to punish them. _I_ get to be the one to bring my blade down upon the humans who incite violence against our people. You should consider joining. All that you need to do is submit to the rulers and pledge your undying loyalty to them."

Nero scoffed.

Adam turned around, ready to walk away. "Though you would first have to impress an Overseer, then hope that they have nothing but kind words for you. If your lucky, knowledge of your existence might even reach the ear of one of the rulers' children."

Blake turned her concerned expression to Nero who seemed to be considering it. He raised his head to look out the stained glass which seemed to depict Sienna.

Adam turned around to face Nero. "Think of it!" She stepped forward. "You and I, against any and every human who could ever hurt our people! The rulers don't mind! So long as we obey and do our part in wiping out the Revolutionary Army, we would have free reign!"

Blake let out a dejected sigh. _Just like on Remnant._ Her gaze turned back to Nero. His expression stern. "And what about the humans who also serve the Empire? Would they just allow that?"

Adam scoffed again. "They're _humans_ , Nero. They won't give a damn."

Nero's expression twisted to one of hate; one he tried to mask, but she saw through it. She stepped closer to him. Wishing that she could just…reach into this vision and smack him across the face to snap him out of it, but it wasn't meant to be.

Blue mist changed the vision again, skipping forward in time, depicting a man in blackened armor with the same teal tabard that marked him as one of the Twilight Arm. She couldn't _physically_ tell who it was, but she somehow knew anyway. It was dusk again, and it was in another ransacked village completely surrounded by dozens of the soldiers with each and everyone of their faces shrouded in their helmets, though one of them bore a familiar sword and stood just a few feet behind Nero.

Striding toward a crowd of rounded up humans crying and begging, shaking with fear, he stopped just short of a mother and father, hugging their son tightly with tears streaming down their face.

"Nero had spent only a year within the Twilight Arm. And, owing to the nature of his soul—to his credit—he refrained from engaging in the atrocities that the Twilight Arm was often known for," Jinn said. "Though not without cost."

Blake watched intently, expression stern, her eyes keen. Her heart and soul were of one mind. _Don't you do it,_ it said.

Nero kneeled down. "Can you tell me where the revolutionaries were last seen?" He paused. "Please. It's simply to ensure the social order is maintained. I mean you no harm."

"I-I, the-they." The father swallowed _hard_ as if he had been parched for ages. "They were last seen headed west."

"Doing what?" Adam yelled.

"I don't know!" the father yelled.

"We don't know anything else!" The mother said. "Please! _Please_ let us go!"

Adam turned around. "You heard 'em! Release them into the wilderness!"

Nero leaned in, resting his arm on his knee. "When you find yourself running, head toward the running waterfall near the abandoned windmill. When you get there, head south and you'll find a forest in the distance. Head there," he whispered.

"Nero would reveal to them the location of one of Sienna's many hideouts that she used in the past to avoid the Empire. Decrepit and derelict now, it would still serve as a means for people sent to their deaths to find _some_ semblance of a reprieve from the horrors of the Twilight Arm."

Blake let out a relieved breath and smiled. As best she could in this situation, at least.

The vision shifted again. "Another year passed, and Nero and Eve spent their time hunting down problematic humans on the outskirts of the Empire that he had lived in during his early adolescence. With Eve's encouragement and Nero's past experiences, they would rarely spare the rod and they were at the forefront of meeting out the Empire's punishments."

Blake watched herself murder humans—some of them being the ones who attacked him years prior. He was aggressive and hateful. Adam—or Eve—would always be watching. Watching and grinning. He used their semblance aggressively. Clones sent out as a means of shaking the enemy into guarding against nothing before he would deliver a fatal blow. "However," Jinn said. "His time in the Twilight Arm, his time with Eve would cultivate another hatred. Perhaps one deeper than his hatred for humans."

"Good work," A man said. He was cloaked in the usual black armor, though his was more elaborate. This time, on the back of the teal tabard was a familiar eye-like sigil red in color.

"His experiences in the military, his training, the violence he had committed—it all served the shadows. _His shadows_ ," Jinn said. "And Eve knew this. She watched him grow stronger and stronger."

"You've done well, Nero. Continue like this and Gwen will take notice of you come this next festival," the officer said.

Blake looked over to Eve who was smiling.

The vision shifted yet again. "And that time came and went. But Nero didn't allow the princess to take notice of him at all," Jinn said. "When next Nero and Eve were alone in one of the barracks, she confronted him."

"What was that about?" Eve said angrily. "Why would you deny yourself that opportunity?"

Nero looked at her, his face hateful, stern, almost disgusted. Eve was immediately taken aback. He faced forward and walked away. "I'm not really concerned with getting promoted."

" _Why?_ " Eve shouted. "Both you and I have _Gifts_! We were chosen! I can redirect damage; you control the shadows! The only ones with more power than us is the Royal Family. With their blessing, we could obtain even more power!"

"What I do is none of your concern," Nero said. "Besides. I heard the revolutionaries have two people with the Gift. You'd think that if they came from our masters, they wouldn't be revolutionaries."

"That's revolutionary propaganda and you _know_ it!" Eve shouted.

"Good and Evil is on a spectrum. Justice can be cruel, hateful, malignant," Jinn said to her, though this time with the same eerie whisper. The vision shifted again as a group of soldiers were firing off into nothing. Yelling and screaming as one by one they fell. She noticed the shadows shifting here and there. "Nero had finally revealed himself. As he cut down his former comrades, he did so with impunity as none of them were able to land a single blow. A product of him finally mastering his semblance, cultivating that small, odd, seemingly meaningless connection to the shadows."

With the massacre over and done with, Eve stumbled upon the scene with Nero towering over the bodies strewn about. "What have you done?"

Nero slashed away the blood on his sword with a swing of the blade. "Eve. Where do your true loyalties lie? With the Empire? Or with my mother? Or perhaps with justice?"

"What are you talking about?" Eve said. "Everything I've done was for the faunus!"

"Or for yourself. You've acclimated well within the Twilight Arm. You were always willing to strike first, always willing to hunt down innocents. You sat, and drank, and danced with the humans of the Empire—your filthy masters." Nero began to approach her. She stepped backward cautiously, gripping the hilt of her blade. "This empire is rotten and so is this world. Through the Black Claw, I'll tear it all down. So I give you one chance. _Surrender_. Escape. Never return to the Twilight Arm."

"Or _what?_ " Eve shouted, her face a writhing mass of anger. "You'll kill me? _ME_? After all we've been through?"

Even though Eve was filled with rage, she was scared. She was trembling. Blake had flashbacks to the past, wondering how things would've turn out had _she_ been so inclined to instill fear in others.

But Eve didn't back down. With a hateful roar, she drew her blade and they fought. And Eve was helpless. She wasn't able to land a hit and she wasn't able to block a hit. She was fighting a ghost. A shadow. A very lethal shadow. Unable to block a single one of Nero's vicious attacks, she couldn't power up Moonslice. And every attack whittled away her aura until finally, in a desperate step back, Eve prepared to flee in terror, but it was all for nothing as Nero plunged his blade into her chest. He pulled out the blade, and gently rested Eve on the ground, closing her eyes shut.

Blake felt a well of tears rise up as she tried to forget what she just saw. The images of _him_ killing people left and right with not a shred of mercy anywhere in his movements. To think, that she would actually be capable of something like that—even _if_ they were the enemy—scared her. And it hurt her. Even though he was her, he was still his own person. So it not only revealed a darker part of her, lurking somewhere deep within, but it also hurt to see someone she now saw as a brother do something so wicked.

The blue mist rose again and blew by her, rewriting the canvas. **"** With all who knew him dead—save for his mother—Nero was now truly a shadow. An unknown. A knife in the dark," Jinn said. "However, there was one final loose end to ensure that no one would ever find out. What he had become." There in the middle of a bone-white stoned floor chamber alit with torches that bore the aesthetic of a ritual chamber of sorts, Gwen—one of the princesses of the Empire—stood before Nero.

Gwen stepped forward; arms crossed. Her flowing cream-colored armored gown accentuated with green was immaculate. "Nero Nightshade! Kneel!"

Nero did so. He still wore his military uniform, shrouding his face in a sleek helmet. "How may I be of service, your majesty?"

"My father has born witness to your deeds. I demand that you confess the purpose behind your reprehensible actions!" Gwen had intended to terrorize Nero into submission as a powerful aura emanated from her. Her eyes lit aflame with a red glow eerily similar to that of the Spring Maiden.

"Nero did not panic. He did not fear the princess' powers," Jinn said. "She was but another steppingstone on his bloodied path."

Nero slowly arose. "Is your father watching now?"

"I did not give you permission to stand!" A violent wind exploded from her.

Nero stood his ground.

"You will answer my question!" Gwen demanded.

Unfazed, Nero stepped forward. "To tear your wretched empire down. That's why I did it."

Gwen responded with a shocked expression that turned into rage. "Treasonous wretch!"

And a battle erupted. The wild, ungodly magical powers of the princess tore their battleground asunder, yet not a single strike landed upon her other self.

"Even the great daughter of the rulers was no match for the demon of the shadows," Jinn said as Nero plunged his blade into her heart. A thrust that almost felt like it hurt her as well. Images flashed by Blake, depicting the aftermath at a mind-numbing pace. Scene after scene played out. A funeral for the princess. People walking with light at all times. Humans in particular would wearily eye the shadows, as if watching for a mugger. Faunus would stalk the shadows joyously.

"The death of Gwen sent shockwaves throughout the Empire." Jinn said as the vision shifted to depict the lavish throne room of the Empire. The red, embroidered drapes, the red carpet, the golden thrones, the marble columns with a shine that seem to hint that they never suffered a single smudge of dirt, and the immaculate cream colored walls told the tale of a _very_ rich family. A woman stood up from her throne in a state of shock. Shock and fear. She had fair skin and long light brown hair, wearing an ornate gown of green and gold that was held together with a wide lion's skin.

"I-it couldn't be!" the Empress said.

"Your majesty?" An old man who bore scars that marked him a veteran. He was unfamiliar to her, though his version of the Twilight Arm armor hinted that he might have been of the highest ranks.

"Mother!" A young woman said. "What are we going to do about this? This assassin from the shadows! They killed my sister! Your daughter!"

The Empress sat down, clearly stricken with fear. "This…this assailant bears all the marks of…" She shook her head violently. "No. No it couldn't be…could it be a sign that my decision was wrong?"

"Mother?"

"Huntsman…No. No it's too late for that," She said under her breath. She stood up suddenly. "Hear me! Send out a bounty! I want this assailant found and brought low as soon as possible. This monster is a threat that cannot be allowed to assail us any longer! Send this bounty across the world!"

The vision shifted, depicting Sienna's throne room in the Black Claw headquarters. She held a piece of paper as she paced around the room with a big grin across her face as Nero watched her from a few feet away, face still shrouded. "You've made me proud, my son." She said.

It felt dirty hearing her say that. That was something she wasn't ever going to get used to. She wasn't even sure if she could even accept it.

Sienna put up the flier for him to see. It depicted a shadowy figure titled, 'The Black Huntsman'. "Do you see this? You have the _Empire_ quaking in fear! Humans fear the shadows wherever they walk, and faunus bask in them! This is everything we've ever wanted!"

"However, their celebrations would…complicate things. The Emperor in particular grew mad, violent. Faunus who refused to betray the Black Claw were executed, the Revolutionary Army had taken advantage of the chaos brought on by Nero to claim territory after territory, and a war between the Empire and the rebels finally erupted in full force," Jinn said as images of battles, riots, executions, and an enraged Salem flashed by Blake.

"It was around that time that Nero took it upon himself to contact the revolutionaries…and test them," Jinn said as the vision shifted to show Nero bloodied, armor torn, and helmet shattered in three places as he heaved on his knees. He now had a scar going up his chin; the one she saw when Nero first showed her his face. A long katana was pointed at him from a familiar face with beautiful, silky smooth, long, blonde hair, and red eyes.

"Yang?" Blake said. As soon as she said her name aloud, her brain corrected her. "Owain…" She stepped closer, trying to get a better look at him. He wore red armor made of layers that was of Raven's red. It also had her signature black feathered cape around his waist. It was so strange to see him. She wondered what Yang would think of all this. _What's your story, I wonder…_

"Despite Nero's abilities, he was bested by Owain Helios, son of Raven—leader of the Revolutionary Army—and Gawain Helios, a former soldier turned traitor."

"So much for the famed Black Huntsman," Owain said as he blinked, shifting his eyes from red to beautiful lilac.

Blake noticed Raven striding in. "Guess you learned the hard way that violence doesn't work so well against my son." She looked the same more or less. Her hair was in a long, wild ponytail, and her outfit was more elaborate, but mostly the same, save for the added black-feathered collar around her neck.

"I didn't think there would be one among you," Nero said as he slowly stood up, struggling to compose himself. "One with the Gift. I thought it was just a lie. A bluff."

"He's not the only one," Raven said as she crossed her arms. "My other son has a Gift as well. And he's just as powerful. So enough games, whoever you are. I have a proposal for you."

"An alliance?" Nero said.

Raven smirked and nodded. "You've been very beneficial to us, whether you intended to be or not."

Blake had to shake her head and catch her bearings at the sudden shift back to the white canvas that was her new home.

"Let's take a short break. Allow you to catch your breath," Jinn said.

Blake didn't turn around to face Jinn. She actually did take this time to take it all in. _Nero…_ She tried, _hard_ , to hold back the tears that stemmed from the wound in her heart. _I have to get out of here! I have to see him!_ She reminisced about his behaviors, his words, his odd tendency to come and see her yet never wanting to make peace. She still didn't know the whole story, but she wanted to know. Not from Jinn, but from _him,_ that he turned out alright. That he was okay. That this dark past of his was just that. His _past_. Though Jinn's words tunneled their way into her mind. Her words which implied this vision was supposed to break her. She was fine. Deeply hurt, but fine. She took a deep breath. _Jinn gave you a breather for a reason. Don't let her win,_ she thought. Steeling herself for the rest of what was to come.

* * *

While they continued to clash, Nero jumped here and there with clones—seemingly switching places with them—as he cut down White Fang members in between each of his attacks against them. During his shadowy storm of teleporting strikes—trying to keep his focus on the enemy in front of him instead of on his dying comrades—he committed himself to keeping Nero at a distance, his survival instincts having almost taken complete control.

When the instant came that Nero was away once more, he leaped backward and charged him with two clones, hoping against hope that his aggression meant he was tangible, but his clones dived right through him as he batted Ilia away with a spinning kick. Sun rushed to her as she met with him in between two slabs of the collapsed upper platform. "So what do we do? I'm gonna be real with you and just say it, but we have no chance of beating him. We can't even _hit_ him let alone block him!"

Ilia heaved out a tired breath. "You're right." She turned her gaze to him. "And it's hard not to be distracted."

Sun's face scrunched up with worry. It would be so _easy_ to brush it off as a lie to weaken their resolve, but someone like Nero didn't need to do something like that. He followed her gaze as Nero stood there, flaming hand-blade held out to the side.

Ilia faced him. "Nero! How do you know Blake's dead? Did _you_ kill her?"

Nero's hidden face moved, as if to look off to the side. "She approached the relic of Knowledge. No doubt she already told you of what happens when the Huntress approaches it."

 _So that's it, then? She's just gone, just like that?_ He thought to himself. He clenched his hands tightly around Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang. "Oh yeah? And why would Blake do something so stupid? She would never approach that thing willingly!"

Nero tilted his head. "One of my inner circle lured her into a trap, taking advantage of Blake's tendency to give people the benefit of the doubt. My subordinate would have me believe it was an accident, but it makes no difference. Blake is dead."

Sun began to shake. His heart sped up, and his anger writhed. Then, the side of Ilia's fist tapped him on the chest as she stared Nero down.

"Don't think about it," She said, keeping her stern expression on Nero. She lowered her arm as he forced himself to calm down. "What do you want, Nero?"

"For you to leave Mistral, nothing more. Do so, and the rest of you will be spared."

"D-do it!" Brick said. His council uniform in tatters as he forced himself up. He was one of the ones that had taken a hit from Nero. He forced himself to his feet and approached them as Nero turned his head to him. "You can always come back later. For now, leave and regroup. We—" He grunted in pain. "We're no match for him right now!"

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tighter. The dude was right. Better to retreat for now and come up with a plan than to lose their lives for nothing. Plan…and grieve. _The hell am I supposed to tell Kali and Ghira? And_ Yang _for that matter,_ he thought.

Ilia sighed. "Fine." She took a deep breath. "Everyone! We're leaving! Everyone is to head to Menagerie immediately!" She returned to glaring at him. "Do you mind giving us a way out? Not exactly many airships available. Given your abilities, _surely_ you can do something."

"Since you've been so agreeable, I'll agree to unseal Raven's semblance. Contact her and have her open up a portal. Though you'll have to have her send someone over on an airship. Easier to do that than to have airships come back and forth." The flaming blade vanished, and he fiddled with his right wrist. "Contact her. Contact her and stay away from Mistral." With that, Nero turned around and walked off into the shadows, away from everyone in the area.

Ilia turned to him. "Contact Yang. Don't worry about breaking the news to her. We'll…do that together. For now, let's just get on out of here as quick as we can and recoup."

He solemnly nodded. He reached into his pocket and made the call. Wasn't exactly a great situation for him to conceal his emotions, but he could do the job, though he knew Yang would be able to tell something was amiss.

 **Author's Note:** FINALLY! There comes a time when you just have to publish something and get it out there, despite knowing it's not perfect, otherwise you'll be editing and rewriting _forever_. Anyways! Hope you enjoy! Thanks to all those who reviewed previously, and I hope you all don't mind how long this one took.


	26. Blake's Arc Chapter 3

**The White Huntress**

 **Chapter 3 – Ultimate Weapon**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Okay, so this one shouldn't have taken this long, but between writer's block, me taking a short break to avoid burnout, and rewriting the draft several times, it ended up taking what? Two months? SORRY. (I remember when I said I was going to release these bi-weekly, LOL). Anyways! Hope you enjoy! Questions, comments, reviews appreciated.

* * *

Blake paced back and forth through the blank space. Every step she took echoed off its white, all-encompassing surface. With a glance, she saw Jinn floating off to the side with a raised eyebrow, the clattering of her chains being the only other sound present. Blake trembled as if she were outside during the winter; her chest felt like it was in a vice grip, and parts of her face, hands, and legs were tingling as if she just got off from sleeping on them. And she was sick; sick to her stomach. _What is going on outside in Mistral? What happened to Sienna? What does Nero think of Mom and Dad? What does he truly think of_ me _?_ It all came at her at once. She calmed herself and planted her feet. She focused on one and went with it. _Owain_ …

 _What happened during the final battle?_ She thought. _Was it over already? Did Yang win? Did she actually kill Owain?_ She wondered if there was a possibility Yang figured out the truth somehow. As much as Owain was a villain, he didn't deserve to die, did he? The thought of Yang effectively killing herself without even knowing it only made her return to pacing as she let out a low whimper. She worried that she'd feel the need to hide the truth from her; that she'd struggle to keep it secret at all. That if she ever found out…she hoped against hope Yang found a way to end it without killing him. As soon as she thought that, a part of her rose up from the back of her mind as if to say, "Don't you remember?"

She saw the image of Owain killing one of the councilmen just shortly before he declared war on the world. She also remembered his attack on Haven, and then his killing of the former Mistral council before that. It bothered the living hell out of her that Yang could be capable of all that. Then there was what Nero did. _Is that what we are? Was it really only circumstance that made us heroes?_ A realization rose from out of her memories as she quickly recalled Yang's semblance and its side effect. Yang struggled with her anger. Given what she saw with Nero, she had to assume Owain was similar. She latched on to that.

Maybe circumstance wasn't so bad then. Maybe it had to be both. Perhaps it was simply the nature of being in a revolutionary army hellbent on freeing the world from tyrants. Battle after battle after battle—he would have seen lots of death, and even been responsible for a lot of it. From that perspective, she could almost understand the casualness at which he did what he did.

Though she wondered if she was just making excuses. She sighed. She didn't want to think about it anymore. Not while she was in here. She wanted to see and know for herself and ruminating about it would only make her feel worse, and she needed to be ready for what Jinn was going to show her. However, remembering that only made other anxieties rise up.

What was the point of it all? What were the four of them planning for that matter? Why was Nero so…inconsistent with her? What did he want from her? Why create the Black Claw _here_ on Remnant? Why was Albus overseeing experimentations on people? Why did Owain start a coup and become governor of Mistral of all places? There were so many questions she wanted answers to—answers Jinn was probably not going to give her, though hopefully she _would_ have some of them answered by the end of this test Jinn put her on. She took a long, deep breath, and exhaled as slowly as she could, and turned around to face her jailer.

"Alright. I'm ready. Let's continue."

Jinn nodded. "Very well." She floated backwards and dissipated into blue mist that radiated throughout the empty space as it slowly painted the picture of a brownish red tent. The flaps of the entrance swayed in the wind, revealing lit torches in the night. Many of the guards stationed around the camp wore fur through their black and red armor, and it also looked like the clothing beneath their armor was thicker than what she saw before. The trees sticking out of the ground here and there were dead with not a single leaf remaining on the branches, but the ground was layered with autumn leaves.

People began to form inside the tent. One of them was Raven who leaned forward looking down at the table and the war game set up on it as she leaned against it with her hands. Owain sat behind his mother at the edge of the tent—one leg over the other—as he slouched to the side, propping himself up with his fist. Nero was also present, leaning against one of the support beams with his arms crossed and face covered with a blank, expressionless white mask. She noticed he had begun to wrap his tail around his waist.

Raven ran her finger across the map. "The northern region is still off limits to us and there's no sign of revolt there. We'll have to stick with the Midwest. The capital is there and by weakening it we weaken the rest of the empire. Once August arrives, we can proceed with our preparations."

 _August?_ She thought.

"Why is August so important?" Nero asked.

Raven looked up to him. "Because he's got silver eyes. They're a hard counter to the grimm, which Emperor Merlin controls. And furthermore…"

She assumed August was the name of Shard's version of Ruby. Hopefully, she would learn enough about him to bring back to her. No doubt she'd be curious, _especially_ once she learned the truth. She hoped that he had a well enough life, though considering the nature of war, and what she knew about Nero and Owain, she cast aside that hope as quickly as it came.

Owain looked like he was about to say something. "You don't have to tell him about that, Mother." His yellow robes were immaculate and had a casualness about them. Oddly, they seemed to be of an aesthetic not unlike that found in Mistral clothing.

Raven looked over her shoulder at him. "If he's gonna help us, he needs to know." Raven looked back at Nero. "Years ago, one of the Twilight Arm—a man by the name of Gawain—turned traitor. During an attempt to liberate a certain prisoner, he witnessed the Emperor, who had made an unexpected appearance."

"Strange that the Emperor himself would feel the need to deal with such an attempted rescue personally. Who was this prisoner?" Nero asked.

"Someone with silver eyes." Raven looked down solemnly. "Both he and my brother died that day—at the Emperor's own hands."

 _Well, that explains what happened to Tai and Qrow,_ Blake thought. She had no idea how the two of them would take that information; probably not too badly. If they died trying to rescue their teammate. She assumed that's who it was. Summer. It could have been someone else, but so far, she got the feeling that destiny has been playing a part in all their lives. So she felt like it had to be Summer.

Raven looked back to him with a stern expression. "But not before leaving behind a message. They discovered why the Emperor rarely goes out in public. He's grimm. Most people only know what they've read in books—books which conveniently never mention that fact, and apparently it was normal for him to go out into the public eye in the past, but…"

"When it was discovered these…silver eyes affected him, he retreated into the shadows," Nero said.

Raven nodded. "Which is where you come in. August has silver eyes, but he'll never be able to get close to Merlin. Since you are powerful enough to kill one of his daughters, you should be powerful enough to challenge Merlin himself, though I doubt you'll actually have to fight him if you're quick enough." She straightened her posture. "His eyes should provide enough of a threat to keep Merlin closed off, leaving him vulnerable to you."

Nero pushed himself off the support beam. "I'll need to set up. I can't just get near him on a whim. He's already aware of me and what I can do. It won't do me much good if I attack him head on. I don't believe it'll be that easy."

Blake's chest tightened as if in another vice grip; she had butterflies in her stomach, and her heart rate shot up. There was no way in hell this was going to turn out okay. If only she was actually here as some sort of time traveler, dimension traveler, or whatever, and she could just tell them this wasn't going to work!

Raven nodded. Looking over to Owain. "Think you can handle it?" She said with a smirk.

Owain smiled and punched his palm. "Of course!"

Nero crossed his arms. "What's he going to do?"

"I'm to cause a scene once we attack the capital. With my Gift and experience, none of the Twilight Arm can stand against me. They only have dust and armor after all."

Raven looked back to Nero. "Which means they'll be forced to send out one of the princesses. The ultimate goal is to take down at least one of them. I'm strong enough to challenge one myself with the right preparation. My son can kill another, and if needs be, August can take down the last. The idea here is to—"

"Force Merlin into enough of a corner that he'll feel the need to get reckless. Good idea. But what about the Empress? She's as powerful as Merlin. Or so I hear."

That reminded her. There was no way Ozma and Salem's daughters were still alive all this time. Did that mean the princesses were just the maidens, but adopted? Or was something else going on? It did make sense if that was the case. If the Empress still felt the need to split her power up, then she would probably prefer to keep them close.

"I can answer that," A woman said from the entrance to the tent. She had tan skin, light-blue eyes, and brown hair in a ponytail.

"Ah, Vivien. You made it back. And August?" Raven said.

Vivien looked off to the side and sighed harshly. "He's fine. Just. Fine."

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing. It's nothing. Anyways…" Vivien turned to Nero. "We've gotten word from our spies that Empress Morgan is set to visit the northern regions to personally inspect things over there. Word has it that she's worried about some sort of King appearing." She looked to Raven. "Perhaps that's a sign that the north _is_ in fact vulnerable to revolt, and that the empire's hold there is not as strong as we thought."

 _Morgan?_ She thought. She couldn't seem to catch a break. It was just one thing after another! _Calm down. It's probably just a coincidence._

Raven looked down at the war table. "We'll put that on hold for now but see to it that we strengthen our spy network up in the north. I want to know more about the state of things there. As well as who this King is supposed to be."

"Understood," Vivien said. "Do you want me to bring August in?"

"Do you have to ask?" Raven said.

Vivien looked off to the side. "He's kind of busy at the moment."

"Ugh, don't tell me our little outed spy has sunk her claws into him."

"Yep," Vivien said.

Raven sighed. "Great. Well, force him out of there, and bring him here."

Vivien saluted with a smirk. "Yes, ma'am!" She left the tent with a spring in her step.

Raven looked back to Owain. "While we wait for August, go check up on our troops real quick. This is going to get messy regardless if we perform perfectly or not."

Owain walked toward the exit. "Understood."

Blake watched Owain exit before turning back to Raven and Nero.

"What about the Black Claw?" Raven asked. "Could they provide support?"

Nero leaned against the column again. "In the capital? No. But elsewhere? Most certainly. I'll make sure they're ready to play their part everywhere else once we hit the capital."

Raven nodded. "Good."

The blue mist blew past and shifted the scene to a battlefield in the middle of a city with a large palace in the background. Buildings were on fire, the sky burned blood red, and the revolutionaries fought against the Twilight Arm in a brutal exchange of might and dust in front of the large, looming spire that housed the rulers.

"The battle for the capital had begun," Jinn said. Blake saw Raven and Owain marching forward side by side. They put on their helmets as they reached the frontlines. The moment they arrived, Owain charged to where the highest concentration of soldiers were, defeating them one by one as if they were harmless children. But he was reckless—deliberately so—as he let blows strike him bit by bit where every now and then he would explode with his hair lit aflame as he would return all that back to the enemies around him.

His aura regenerated, and this exchange repeated until lightning crackled in the sky. From on high, a woman floated down from the ramparts, glowing with magic. She had straight platinum blonde hair that flowed long and freely, tan skin, and she wore an ornate blue robe that had white fur around the neck.

"Princess Elaine had finally made her appearance," Jinn said as Elaine waved her hand as a freezing mist swept the revolutionary forces underfoot, holding them in place. With the raising of her other hand, lightning rained down from the sky, smiting revolutionary soldiers left and right—their black and red armor now charred; the soldiers fell lifeless. Some of them were even burnt to ash.

Owain was struck as well, but from the plume of smoke burned the light of his hair as he swung out his blade toward her. A wave of power ripped through the air and struck her. She tumbled out of the sky, and floated gently to the ground, brushing off the attack. They both charged each other—a massive cloud of magic—of lightning and ice cloaked her as Owain held his sword out to the side, ready to swing.

She looked off to the side, near where August, Vivien and… _Cinder?_ She thought. She recognized a familiar woman to Augusts' side. August was cloaked in the army's red and black armor. He wielded a greataxe while also having a greatsword on his back that looked to be empowered by a dust crystal. His face was covered with a helmet that had two spikes protruding backward from the top of the helmet. He looked over to Vivien. "Any word on the other princesses?"

"No," Vivien said.

"That's because the other two are with the Empress," Shard Cinder said. She wore a short red dress that seemed altered for battle; it had armor plating around the chest, around the hips, and on the shoulders. She carried a noticeably large bow on her back with the quiver placed on her lower back, set diagonally for easy drawing.

Vivien's head snapped in her direction. "And you're only telling us _now?_ " She shouted.

Cinder rolled her eyes. "I didn't say anything about it because it wasn't important. If the princesses were never going to show up, then you wouldn't have to worry about them."

"How can you be so sure they won't show, Artemis?" August asked as he turned to her.

"It's in my best interest to know. I'm a spy, remember? If someone wants to know where they're going, I should be able to inform them, dear."

"Ugh," Vivien said.

"Oh come now, Vivien," Artemis said. "No need to be jealous." She said with a coy smile.

 _Okay, that's gross,_ Blake thought. But it did put a smile on her face with how ridiculous it was. She couldn't be certain, but she got the feeling her hunch about that was right, and it was something to tell Ruby when she got out. If for no other reason than to gross her out. Something to lighten up the mood in all this.

The blue mist suddenly pulled her out of the battlefield, shifting to a place within the palace. In front of her were large brown metal doors ornamented with gold. Nero had thrown one of his clones into the shadows of the wall beside the doors, moving it through and to the other side as he switched places with it, finding himself in the throne room proper. Emperor Merlin watched the battlefield through the window with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore an unblemished black suit with red trimmings. The familiar eye-like sigil associated with Salem clear on the back.

He skulked low towards the Emperor as the Emperor seemed ignorant to his arrival. He quickened his pace and with one quick thrust aimed at the heart, he plunged his blade through his chest and pulled it out as quickly as he inserted it. He jerked himself backwards as the Emperor stumbled side to side, gripping his chest and grunting in pain. Then, he collapsed face first.

Nero stared at the Emperor's body, then walked over to the window where Merlin had been and looked out the window himself.

Every part of her body urged her to yell at him; to tell him to run. That he doesn't know what he was up against.

"I don't understand why Morgan is so afraid of you, _Black Huntsman,_ " Merlin said.

 _Damn it!_ Blake thought. _Run, Nero! Please, run!_ She wanted him to be so caught off guard that he'd instinctually run away.

Nero jerked around and put himself on guard as Merlin simply stood up and brushed himself off.

Merlin clasped his hands behind his back. "Care to try that again, child?"

Nero charged him with a clone as it phased through him. He switched places with it and slashed him across the chest twice in a cross, spun around him, and stabbed him through the chest a second time.

Merlin stumbled backward with a mocking laugh.

"How are you doing that?" Nero said.

"I am a god, young one. I cannot be killed," Merlin said as he composed himself, combing his white hair back with his hand.

In a fury, Nero hacked away at Merlin for what seemed like hours, though she knew only minutes had passed, yet nothing came of it. Merlin stood there, unphased save for his suit, though even that was temporary. Right before her eyes, Merlin had weaved the suit anew, looking perfectly untouched. Nero's aura ran out then and there. Then, he was pinned to the ground with grimm hands that came from below. Merlin walked up to him and pulled his head up by his chin with a vice grip.

Blake found herself charging, though she phased right through their forms as they shimmered with blue mist and reformed. _Why did I…_

"You will pay for murdering my daughter." Merlin grabbed Nero's arm and set it aflame. Nero screamed in agony. She winced and balked away as Nero's arm was burnt to nothing. "But, you can make amends. Morgan is terrified of you for some strange reason, and I wish to alleviate that."

As Nero continued to writhe, he opened his eyes to stare deep into the Emperor's own. "If you want to avenge the death of Gwen, then hurry up and get on with it!"

Merlin scoffed. "In due time, child." He smiled. "It's quite clear that she's afraid of you, not because you can't be dealt with, but because of what you represent. So here's what's going to happen. You are going to redeem yourself." Merlin stood up, letting go of his grip. He snapped his fingers as darkness formed in a small circle beside his feet. A strange looking grimm-like bug crawled out of it, and onto Nero.

Nero squirmed around, trying to get it off, but it burrowed its way into his right side where his arm used to be.

"You will be given a new arm. One that will allow me to know your whereabouts at all times." He stepped forward. "Furthermore, I will grant you a small portion of my power. Magic, if you will."

"F-for what purpose?"

"I want you to devastate the Revolutionary Army by assassinating its most important figures. I want to show the world what it means to defy my empire. To do that, you will become my ultimate weapon. My sword of darkness."

Nero laughed defiantly. "Why should I?"

Merlin stared at him with his hands in his pockets with an expressionless look for a good few seconds. "Your mother is Sienna Khan, no? The leader of the Black Claw?"

Nero's expression changed to one of surprise. Surprise and worry. She knew the both of them had the same suspicion. "How did you know?"

"I see many things, child. I've watched her from afar for some time now. She was no threat to me, and neither were your birth parents. I know now that I should have sent the Twilight Arm to them sooner. If I had them killed sooner, Gwen would still be alive, now wouldn't she?" He paused again. "So what will it be, boy? Will you serve me? Or will I have to make an example of you and your mother?" Merlin kneeled down, letting his arms rest over his knees and paused. He took a long look at Nero. "Do you _really_ have any loyalty to those misfits? Does Raven have any hold over you? Does her ideology?"

Blake shut her eyes and clenched her fists. She became hot. The sickness in her stomach grew stronger. _Don't tell me,_ she thought. _Don't tell me he…_

Merlin stood up. "The Revolutionary Army is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to overthrow me under the pretense of Justice. They are _frauds_. This empire of ours has given you everything. And I confess, there are a few problems that could be addressed. Problems that I could fix in but an instant. For example, I will see to it that faunus everywhere are given the same rights as everyone else; in the outskirts in particular. They will be given daily bread and water to keep them hearty and whole while they transition into the greater parts of the empire. I will see to it that the Twilight Arm will refocus its efforts in addressing the violence and discrimination occurring all across the land." He leaned in. "All you need to do is become my assassin. Nothing more."

Blake's face scrunched up with anger. _Curious how you only suggested that as an offering. Why not do it regardless, you fraud?_ Oddly—or perhaps expectedly—she knew Nero had the same thought.

Before she could see Nero give his answer the blue mist blew by again, shifting the scene. "Feeling like he had no other choice, Nero did as was told. He knew now the revolution's efforts were hopeless, and so were the Black Claw's. It didn't matter if Merlin was telling the truth. The best he could do, was work in the shadows. And so he became Merlin's weapon. Traveling from place to place, region to region, district to district, he outed and assassinated many of the revolution's spies, gifted fighters, and regional leaders."

Scenes flashed passed her, depicting a keenly familiar shadowy figure murdering politicians, farmers, business leaders, public speakers, smugglers—anyone with any power, authority, and ties to the revolution.

"In a bloody, shadowy rampage, the faunus of the world read the signs. "The empire was just". His actions turned the faunus against the revolutionaries, those that were outspoken against the empire began to despair and fear for their lives now more than ever before, and all the while, Nero made sure to keep his distance from his mother. And away from the wrath of his former accomplices."

The blue mist came by again to show battle after battle now being lost by the revolutionaries. They were being pushed back. Whatever ground they had gained was almost completely gone. "Many parts of their army had collapsed thanks to the death of their leadership. Thanks to Nero's assaults, Raven was the last remaining leader of the entire revolution. They were now but a fraction of what they once were."

The scene shifted again, depicting Nero solemnly walking down a dimly lit path in the palace as he strode close to the doors leading into the throne room. "Nero had accepted what he was. Just a tool. A monstrous tool. No, a _weapon._ That's all he was. He had slain his comrades in the Twilight Arm, he had killed Eve, and now he had dismantled the only hope for ridding this world of this corrupt empire. A false hope. Knowing that the Emperor was immortal had dimmed away whatever hope he had left, and so he resigned himself," Jinn said.

Nero entered the throne room and kneeled before Morgan and Merlin. Morgan was surprised to see such a thing. "H-how did you…" she said, turning to Merlin, who sat comfortably on his throne, looking down at Nero.

"I did nothing but show him the truth. I cannot be killed. Now that the Black Huntsman serves us, you have nothing to fear," He said as he looked to Morgan.

Morgan looked down at Nero as well. "Yes, but…what about the others?" She spoke under her breath.

"Morgan found no signs of the King up north, she was ignorant to Owain's abilities, and August had shown no signs of being distinct from other silver eyed warriors, so Morgan remained in the dark. All she knew was that her hunch that Nero was the new Huntsman—like the one from her youth—was enough to wash away her worries. If _the_ Huntsman had sided with them, then certainly that was a good sign! Even though Merlin was immortal, that wouldn't have been enough to sway or control someone like the original Huntsman, would it? She didn't believe it would be. Whatever doubts Morgan had that this was the right course of action to unite the world under one banner and fulfill her original mission were buried. She was beginning to truly believe her decision to stay was the best course of action. "A little pain now for much greater good later," she would often think. Now that felt to her less of an excuse and more of a sincere belief."

"In fact, she—"

Everything went dark. As if the power in a building had suddenly been cut off. Blake looked around but to her surprise, she wasn't able to make out a thing. "Jinn?" Everything began to shake, violently as she felt a burn crash against her body. She reflexively engaged her aura only to find it shatter immediately as she slammed against a hard, rough ground. She could see this time and she was surrounded with waterfalls, rubble, and shattered buildings everywhere that bore the typical Mistral aesthetic.

She looked behind her to find a shattered Gift of Knowledge, the blue mist that was contained in the lamp was spread out like a morning fog. A loud, crackling roar laced with energy exploded in the air far above her. She jerked her head up to find a dust dragon roaring loudly. Crackling energy clearly visible from its mouth—even from this distance. "August," she said aloud. She grabbed her side as she found herself bleeding quite badly. Not enough to be fatal, but enough to cause concern. She felt like she broke her ribcage in a few places as she was unable to stand up without squirming over in pain.

"August!" She yelled, stumbling forward in agony. August paid her no mind as the dragon bolted away like a giant swirling bullet of blue and thorns. She crawled towards several stacked pieces of rubble where a dim light emanated from between their cracks as her vision began to fade. She tried to stay awake, to fight it, but her vision blurred more and more as her muscles weakened and locked up. Her vision faded into darkness; her mind went blank.

 **[LINE BREAK HERE]**

The Atlesian airship floated downwards into the rubble of the White Fang headquarters. Raven narrowed her eyes at the sight of Nero standing atop a small mountain of rubble surrounded by the wounded and the dead with not a single member of his own subordinates present. She jumped out. Yang jumped out after her. "What's the big idea? Why give me back my semblance?" She said as she strode toward Nero, Sun, and Ilia.

Yang stepped forward with an angry expression on her face. "I hope you haven't given me a reason to distrust you, Nero." She nodded to the ruins. "Because this? This I don't like."

"No such thing. I have my reasons. Most of this is due to your final battle with my companion. And the resulting destruction caused by our leader. As for myself? I still have my own goals. I simply wish to…roam about in Mistral unabated, without the White Fang around." He looked to Raven. "Hence why I unsealed your semblance."

"Wait! Hold up!" Sun said, turning to Yang. "You trust him?"

Yang was clearly caught off guard by that question. "I…well, it's complicated."

Nero looked to Sun and Ilia. "We have an arrangement. A mutually beneficial accord. If it worries you, then take comfort in knowing that it has nothing to do with our little grudge. It's of an unrelated matter."

Ilia looked unconvinced. "Are you sure about this Yang?"

Yang nodded and gave Nero a glare. "Yeah. Assuming our deal still stands. And before you accuse me of telling my Mom and Uncle, you should know that Albus insisted."

Nero paused and crossed his arms. "I'm aware. It's a dumb decision, but I understand why Albus insisted. As much as he carries that front, he isn't _really_ much of an Ice King. Besides…you should all head out." He looked over to Sun and Ilia. "I do believe you all have something to discuss."

Raven noticed Sun and Ilia balk with discomfort at those words. "What is it?"

"We should talk about it back at Menagerie. Let everyone else in on it too," Ilia said.

She turned around. "Well, alright, if you say so." She drew her sword into a downward stroke, seeing the familiar portal of hers form in front of her. _Well, at least he told the truth,_ she thought. _It's good to finally have this back,_ she thought with a quick smile.

 **[LINE BREAK HERE]**

Blake opened her eyes. A brown wooden ceiling loomed above her. Rife with splinters, the aged wood bore signs of swelling from taking too much water. The crashing of rain against the walls was almost grating. The _thump, thump, thump_ of a loose piece of wood somewhere was nothing short of obnoxious. "Where am I?" She said weakly.

"You're awake!" A young girl said.

The girl—who had droopy dog ears skipped to her in a happy hurry. "I was worried you wouldn't make it."

"That I wouldn't—" It all came back to her in a rush that made her sit up with enough vigor to wash away all the grogginess that she had, but she quickly fell back onto the fluffy bedding, holding her ribcage in agony.

"Woah there! You're not healed yet!" A man said. He walked through the open doorway and gingerly walked toward her with a cup of a steaming liquid. "Not sure what happened to you, but we're glad you're alright. Don't know how we'd all deal with it if you ended up dead," He said.

She couldn't tell if he was also a faunus. She slowly sat up, resting her back against the wall behind her. The girl propped up the pillows behind her to make her more comfortable. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're Blake Belladonna, right?" The girl said.

The man laughed. "We were out checking the damages, and eventually found our way to a collapsed cavern of sorts. Seemed to be quite large. Imagine our surprise when we found you there. Surprised…and terrified as you were in pretty bad shape."

She let out a low laugh. _That's right. I almost forgot I was famous._ She looked to them and smiled, grabbing the cup. "Thanks."

The man smiled. "You're welcome." He tapped the girl on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's let her rest."

The girl nodded and the both of them walked out.

She let out a sigh of relief. She was out. Not the way she expected, but she escaped, nonetheless. She placed the cup on the floor beside her.

Given the fact that the relic was in pieces as well as the scattered mist, she wondered if Jinn was gone—destroyed by whatever August did with the dust dragon. If that's the case, then that would mean two relics were gone now. But more importantly…

She clenched her fists. _Nero…_ She never got the whole story. She never got to know what happened to him. Now, all she needed to do was find him. Find him, give him a good smack, then a hug, then finally, _finally_ find out what all this was about! Find out that he didn't stay a villain; that he found a way to redeem himself.

But first, she had to heal. Heal, and _train_. Thanks to the vision, she knew how his power worked. She could achieve the same thing. Fight against him as an equal. She sighed, remembering the other bits of what she had learned. _But before that, I have to tell everyone the truth._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The timing here is similar to the difference in time between the girls' PoV and Blake's PoV during volume 5 where the girls are ahead in time compared to Blake. Just so no one is confused.

 _Anyways!_ Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!


	27. Blake's Arc Chapter 4

**The White Huntress**

 **Chapter 4: Another Rose**

* * *

Yang crossed her arms and rested against the brown wood wall of Ghira's meeting room. She forced her attention away from the thought of the grieving Belladonnas off in another part of the mansion and back to the matter at hand. "And you're _sure_ Nero said that?" _Why the hell would he want Blake dead though?_ Her instinct of course was to assume it was just a cover story. That Nero was lying and he was trying to cover his own ass. But that was just instinct. Her heart told her something different.

"Yeah," Sun said as he slouched forward over the back of the chair. "He didn't exactly have any reason to lie. Not in the position we were in. He came outta nowhere, took down most of the folks at the headquarters, and whooped us a new one. I don't know much about politics, but I know enough to know that in a situation like that, he had all the power." Sun sighed, shifting his gaze down at the light brown wooden floor. "As much as I wish he were lying..."

"Yeah," Ilia said. "His attack was sudden. And what he said seemed to imply that Blake was holding him back somehow. Like, because he thought she was no longer around, he could do as he pleased. It was strange when he said "All that's left is our darkness."" She paced, holding her arms close to her chest. She stopped in her tracks and turned to them. "There's...something else."

From what she could gather—and from what she knew about the guy—he probably had a soft spot for Blake. The easy answer to that was because they shared the same soul, but if that was the case, then why become violent the moment he thinks she's gone? That line about "our darkness" sparked a worry in her. "What is it?" She asked.

"Before Blake...well, you know. She contacted me telling me to keep an eye out for a member of the Black Claw named Frost Rosala. She seemed to be of high rank within the organization." Ilia took out her scroll and fiddled with it. "So far, there's not much on her." Ilia turned her scroll upwards as an image of a faunus with fair skin and light, icy-blue hair and a grin on her face was projected up with the name _Frost Rosala_ at the top. "She was orphaned during the Fall of Beacon, and eventually joined up with the restored White Fang after hearing about Blake's exploits."

"So...this Frost looked up to her?" Yang asked. _And if that's true, then how much of her joining Nero was a coincidence?_ Yang began to wonder what the high-rank and file of the Black Claw knew about their leader. If it turned out they all knew who he really was, she might have to break their promise. She only agreed to this secret—even though they all promised to never keep secrets again—because she felt it was important; important enough to break that promise.

Ilia nodded. "Seems like it. As you can see, there's nothing we have on her that says when and why she joined the Black Claw. Which falls in line with everything else we know about them. As you can see from the files, besides her trying to emulate Blake through action and outfits, she never really did anything notable; nothing illegal, no thefts or murders, just volunteering with the faunus militia."

"What do you mean by that? About the Black Claw, I mean," Mom asked. "I don't know how long you've been at each others' throats, but surely you've learned _something_ about them?"

Ilia shook her head. "Officially, the Black Claw doesn't exist. Some of our spies that infiltrated them discovered that everyone not a high-ranking member is kept in the dark, and they're mostly fed propaganda."

"And surprisingly, only a percentage of those who join stick around," Sun said."

"Well, it's not because the propaganda doesn't work, but rather because Nero intended it that way." Ilia closed her scroll and pocketed it. "We've only recently discovered that the organization as a whole is only made up of a tiny few; handpicked by Nero himself."

Oscar rubbed his chin. "Strange. Interestingly, Nero himself claimed to want to ally with us to take Owain down, and as far as I could tell, he didn't bring the Black Claw along." He looked to Ilia. "Do you have any info that suggests otherwise?"

Ilia shook her head. "No. None."

"I think we're getting a little off topic," Mom said as she crossed her arms. "As much as I find this interesting, the issue is Frost. Where did Blake first encounter her?"

Yang wondered if Mom wasn't just trying to return the focus back to Frost because of Blake, but because she was trying to shift away any discussion that might bring up Owain.

Ilia nodded. "Right...She encountered her some time during the final battle of Mistral. Blake decided to follow and keep track of Frost herself."

Qrow leaned forward, resting his arms over his knees. ""A subordinate of his." That's what Nero said. You think Frost did it? If nothing else, she's a suspect. If Nero intended to ally with us _by himself_ then a high-ranking member showing up would be suspect, right? Especially if it was behind our back."

"Well, there we have it!" Yang pushed herself off the wall and walked toward the exit.

"Yang wait, what are you going to do?" Qrow asked.

She looked back at him. "Do you have to ask?"

"What, you're gonna rampage all over Mistral?" Qrow said. "You and Owain already did that. Not sure the city can handle that again."

"It's fine! I'm not gonna go on a rampage." She turned to them. "If Nero wants us out then me showing up will no doubt make him pop up. Then, I'll simply _ask_ him to give us Frost."

"And then what?" Mom said. "You'll avenge Blake?"

"That implies Blake is dead. Until I see the relic for myself—until I get _proof—_ I'm not jumping to conclusions." She leaned to the side and put a hand on her hip. " _In fact,_ I'll get Nero to help me out on that." She furrowed her brow to Mom and Qrow. "I'll get him to agree to help me find the relic." She realized that if she said nothing more, the others would get suspicious of that. "Nero wants us to believe it was one of his subordinates acting out of turn. If that's true, then he wouldn't mind lending us a hand."

Qrow smirked. "Well, that's a much better plan than rampaging, I'd say." Qrow seemed to take the hint.

"Well, if there's nothing else..." Yang continued on her way out. She stopped in place. An idea popped into her head all of a sudden. _Perhaps I could ask Owain about him_. Mom said that he joined the Branwen Tribe. If she could only get him to tell her more about Nero, if he _really_ could be trusted, or if he had an ulterior motive in having her keep this whole thing a secret. Maybe she could even get him to tell her what the relic was supposed to do to the Huntress if he even knew that."Mom, I need to talk to you in a bit, do you mind?" She said.

Mom nodded. "Sure."

"By the way, where's Weiss and Ruby?" Yang asked. She didn't mind that they weren't around. Probably busy with similarly worrying thoughts.

Qrow swung one leg over the other and leaned against his chair. "They're out training. Seems like what happened in Mistral got to them. They're out trying to push the limits of their semblances. Which is a good idea in my opinion. What August did to the Atlesian fleet was a pretty ridiculous display of Ruby's semblance."

She raised an eyebrow. "But what about Weiss? I understand why Ruby would be bothered by that, but Weiss?"

"Yeah, when Albus appeared, he revealed to her that she apparently has a second semblance. Her "real" semblance," Qrow said.

Yang put a hand on her hip. "That...sounds hard to believe."

Oscar looked at her. "It actually makes a sort of sense. Semblances are tied to our souls, our personalities. They are a part of who we are, yet for some reason Schnees don't get their own? They get a copy that runs in the family? Sure, it's apparently unique to them, but at the same time, you have to wonder why they don't also get their own; one that's much more personal."

Mom crossed her arms. "Though I get the feeling unlocking a _second_ semblance is something unique to Schnees, and is not something that'll come naturally. If I had to guess—especially after all this time—she'll have a tough time unlocking it."

Yang looked to her mother. "Well there has to be more to it than that. As to why Weiss is so anxious." Was it really only just because she found out she might be able to unlock a second semblance? "What did Albus say to her?"

"Albus "invited" her to Atlas. Telling her to come when she's ready," Qrow said. "She's taken him up on that offer and had Whitley take over as acting president of the SDC for a time." Qrow leaned forward again, returning to resting his arms over his knees. "And from what she said, everyone in the company is perfectly alright with that. With what happened in Mistral, they have no problem having one of team RWBY return to the field till this whole business is dealt with."

 _What the hell was_ he _like?_ She thought. _Something else to ask Owain then_. "Right. So, what about Mistral? And the Black Claw? Do we have a plan to deal with them? Or are we letting them "have" Mistral?"

"The Black Claw was never really our problem. That's the White Fang's business," Mom said. "I think we should turn our attention elsewhere for now." Mom turned to Ilia and Sun. "Sorry. But, if nothing else, it gives you time to rest and regroup."

Sun smirked. "Hey! No problem! We get it. Besides, we're in this together. Whatever is going on, it's most certainly our business. The White Fang and the Black Claw? They're just a small part of it."

Ilia turned to Sun and smiled. "Well said." She turned back to the group as her face turned a little more serious. "While we...grieve—whether Blake is gone or not—a lot of people died recently—so we'll just rest a little, and plan our next move." She sighed. "Not much we can do about Mistral anyway. Our headquarters gone, the city in shambles, Nero wanting us out. For now, we'll see what we can do to help out."

Oscar stood up. "First, let's let the Belladonnas grieve before we come up with a plan. No doubt they'll want to be a part of it."

* * *

The lightning flashed through the grimy, cracked windows. Thunder crackled in the air trembling through the house. The pouring of rain pelted the ceiling and windows. The wind howled and the shutters slammed against the wood walls. As Blake laid back in her makeshift bed, covered in an itchy green blanket made of wool, she took note of the storm not carrying with it the same...ominousness that came with the storm that shrouded Mistral. The one associated with Owain. She pulled off the covers and stood up. _Well, there goes that._ She had thought to focus on the storm to get her mind off of things.

She sighed. _Can't go back to old habits, Blake._ She tensed and relaxed her muscles. She opened and closed her fists. She breathed in and out, concentrating on every part of her body. She focused on every prick and tingle, on the beating of her heart. She got hit by a blast that was powerful enough to destroy a relic. She wasn't going to heal from something like that so easily, would she? Then again, it seemed as if Haven and the relic absorbed most of the impact. She should count herself lucky.

She wanted to laugh a little. August had freed her, though she wasn't sure if it was deliberate or by accident, though how could it be the latter? How could he have known she was in the relic itself? How in the world he got his hands on a _dust_ dragon is something she would need to figure out, but right now she had other priorities. _Maaaybe leave that one to Ruby,_ she thought as she continued to gauge herself. Her head spun with the same anxieties as those she had within Jinn's prison. But she forced them out. _As much as you want to see Nero and find out the rest of what happened, you have to steady yourself first._

She didn't know where to begin. Should she find the others and tell them the truth? She _had_ to find a way back to everyone—wherever they were—and finally tell them the truth of all this. Well, their identities anyway. Not only theirs but that of Morgan and Merlin as well. Ruby needed to know. _It could be a coincidence, though if there was even the slightest chance it wasn't..._ she took a deep breath.

"How you feelin?" The man asked, shutting the creaking, rotted door behind him as he entered with more tea, accompanied by some bread atop a battered gray tray. She noticed the scars below the man's short mess of a hair, across his face. Some of them were poorly disguised by his equally unkempt beard. Yet despite the scars, the man had a kindness to him. A...sort of innocence. A kind of innocence that betrayed the wounds on his face.

"Great! I feel great!" She looked to him with a smile. "Aura has its benefits. Though I still have the both of you to thank for rescuing me."

He placed the tray beside her bed with the cup of tea. "Don't mention it!" He scratched his head, seeming a bit embarrassed. "So, what are you going to do now?"

She continued to check herself over. "I need to train. But first, I need information." She looked at him again. "Do you know what happened after the battle ended? Do you know anything about the Black Claw?"

"Well, after the battle all the sounds of fighting ceased. As for the Black Claw." He looked off to the side. "They've been rather busy. As soon as the fighting ceased, a few of them were scouring all over the place. The usual ones that do, but more frequently. No idea why, though."

That meant she had to be careful. _Looks like you failed, Frost_. She couldn't afford to give away her existence. She had to stay low and let them think she died. She had no idea if Nero knew what Frost did, but she wasn't ready to confront him yet, as much as she wanted to. Being reminded of the fact that Frost actually attempted to kill her only forced her anxieties back up. She wondered how Nero felt about it. She couldn't imagine he had something to do with it. Did he feel bad about it? Was he sad? Angry? What was he doing now?

 _But first…_ "Hey mister?"She had to stay focused. The endless questions constantly pouring forth from the depths of her mind weren't going to do her any good.

"Hmm?"

"Are you...safe here? Does anyone harass you? Any strange visitors?" A part of her needed a place to lay low, a part of her didn't want to bring trouble to a family that had only been good to her, and a part of her was legitimately concerned about their safety given the state of affairs of that _and_ she needed a place to train. To experiment with her semblance, following and copying what Nero did in the vision.

"No, no, nothing like that," He said with a hearty laugh. "My daughter and I are more or less alright down here. We keep to ourselves and everyone tends to leave us alone. Luckily when parts of Upper Mistral collapsed down to the lower levels, we were spared."

"Well, that's good." Her ears perked up toward her left. Toward the window. The storm had died down suddenly. _I might be able to do some scouting_ , she thought. Though she would need a cloak of some sort to hide her face. "By the way, I never got your name."

"Maris. The name's Maris. My daughter's name is Pott."

She smiled warmly. "Guess I don't have to introduce myself." She said with a laugh. "Where is your daughter, by the way?"

"Oh, she's at a friend's house. She was really excitable this morning. No doubt she's telling everyone she meets that _the_ Blake Belladonna is at her house." He laughed.

 _Oh boy._ She forced out a giggle. "Speaking of which, if you don't mind—when she gets home—could you tell her to keep that a secret?"

"Oh, oh sure thing, not a problem! I'll make sure to tell her when she gets back."

She smiled. "Thank you. Not that she's doing anything wrong, but I'd rather play it safe given my fame." Hopefully the tendency for people to ignore children and what they say—especially if its hard to believe—still holds true. Oddly, she still found it endearing. Even after all this time, she still wasn't used to the fame.

He smiled understandingly. "Oh no worries! I understand." He scratched his head again. "Well, I don't actually, given that I'm not famous or anything, but—well you know what I mean."

She chuckled. "I do."

He put his hands on his hips and exhaled. "Well, I'll leave you to yourself for now. I apologize for not being able to get you something more...filling, but—"

"Oh, don't worry about it, it's fine! I'm just glad not to be dead, to be honest," She said with a chuckle.

He laughed. "I hear that. Anyways!" He walked toward the door to the small room that only made her wonder how big this house was. "If you need anything, just let me know! I'll be stopping by the market later."

She nodded. "Will do, Mr. Maris. And thanks again."

He smiled warmly and left the room, gingerly closing the door behind him.

She stood there smiling, solemnly. _Such a nice person,_ she thought. Her face mutated into a stern expression as she gazed over at her right, directly at the wall made of the typical brown rotted wood. She couldn't tell if it had been from age or the rain, but she was surprised at how sturdy the house looked. Despite its poor material, no doubt it had been built and maintained by an excellent builder. But that was a concern for another time. Right now she needed to do what Nero asked of her back to what felt like years now, even though it had only been...well she had no idea really given her time in the relic. But… _He wanted me to return to the shadows,_ she thought.

She faced the wall, planting her feet upon the ground firmly, and focused. _It's probably not what he intended, but either way…_ It was time for her to learn. To advance her semblance. To not only leave behind clones, but to use them to form a connection with the shadows. To become one with them.

* * *

Yang scanned the dimly lit hallway, then closed the door. It was empty save for the fine white pottery lined with green flowery patterns and golden rims around the top. That and the many paintings of scenery with a few family photos of the Belladonnas, with some of them even having other people she was unfamiliar with. One of them seeming to be a tiger faunus with dark skin and short dark hair.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Mom said as she walked over to a wall in the guest room leaning against it.

She continued to scan the hallway. "Is there anyone in the Branwen Tribe you're particularly fond of?" She asked. She knew she was skulking around what she _really_ wanted to ask.

Mom furrowed her brow. "Why? I'm assuming you want me to use my semblance."

She scratched her head. "Well..." She tried not to blush, feeling a tad embarrassed.

Mom snorted. "You know, if you wanted to see him, you could just come out and say it."

She jerked herself around. "I mean—we need information, right? He knows Nero personally. I figured I'd ask him about him, if he could be trusted, or anything else I might need to know."

Mom laughed a little. "You suck at lying. Well, either way, the answer is no—I don't have anyone I could open a portal to. You'd have to find a way to the Branwen Tribe by yourself. All the while hiding what you're doing from the others."

She almost forgot about that. The great and terrible secret. "About that..." She turned back to her. "If I'm not satisfied with Nero, or if Owain tells me he's not to be trusted, then I'll come out and tell everyone."

Mom furrowed her brow. "Not everyone. It's still a good idea to keep that information between people we can trust. These days, if people found out who Owain really is—who August really is—then we'd all have a bit of trouble on our hands. Especially after what the both of them did to Mistral."

Yang couldn't help but let out a harsh sigh. _That's right. I was supposed to get Owain to redeem himself._ "True. Then just us then. Oscar, Ruby, Weiss—everyone who's been with us all this time. Helped us along the way. Our _family_ ," she said with a smile.

Mom scoffed, but not in an impolite or dismissive way, but in her own little way that signified that she understood. "Well, let me know when you're ready."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Why? I thought you couldn't port there."

"Because I'm going with you. I think it's time to see how the Branwen Tribe is doing firsthand. Azure may be leading it well—or so I hear—but she and I were never really close. She was one of the many members of the tribe that kept their distance from me."

"I'm surprised to hear that. How many of them distrusted you?" She asked.

"It wasn't distrust. More like...fear. Many of them had put me on a pedestal, and thus were too afraid to get near me or speak their mind in my presence." She scoffed disappointingly. "And they sucked at hiding it."

Yang made a closed-mouth sneer. "Makes sense. You were a little...off-putting."

Mom frowned and rolled her eyes. "Oh ha ha."

She laughed. "Anyways...I'll let Qrow know what I'm doing, and then we'll leave," she said.

* * *

Cinder walked down the sandy path betwixt two rows of sand-colored stone buildings. Even through the moderate sandstorm, she could tell much of the town seemed...under-populated. Seemed which ever tribe settled here were no longer around. Though that didn't really concern her. What _actually_ concerned her was how Raven found out Owain's precise whereabouts and refrained from telling anyone.

Em coughed as she patted sand off her clothes as they all walked through the nigh-abandoned sandy streets. "So how do we know Owain is in Vacuo again?"

Mercury popped a pill as he rubbed his spine. He had made a quick recovery thanks to Atlas tech and therapy, but it still seemed he was far from combat ready. "Because." He swallowed. "Cinder overheard Raven's shouting and decided to eavesdrop."

"And be thankful I did. Had I not, we wouldn't have found out that Owain's staying with the Branwen Tribe. Thanks to that, I took the liberty of contacting one of their contractors under the assumption that we were looking to hire them."

Em coughed again. "That's strange, don't you think? How would Raven know that? I mean, it's not like the tribe knew he was the governor. Unless they're knowingly harboring him, though I can't see why given he was acting leader of their biggest rivals."

"From what I could gather, Azure—the current leader of the tribe—did indeed take in Owain without knowing who he was. Raven clearly thought that was a bad idea," She said. "Though I didn't get much more than that. The odd thing was why Raven kept silent about it." Then again, what was the likelihood that Raven trusted her enough with that information? _Then again,_ why would she keep Owain's location to any of them a secret at all? Something definitely wasn't right and she didn't trust Raven enough to confront her about it.

"Well, we can ask Azure herself when we find the camp," Mercury said as his walk shifted between a straight walk and a stumble.

 _Looks like it'll be just Emerald and me against Owain,_ she thought as she side-eyed him. She returned her gaze to the path in front of her. "First things first, we need to play it safe and ensure that things work in our favor. There's no point in attacking Owain if the entire tribe comes to his defense."

As they continued along the path, Cinder noticed the shadowy outline of the makeshift camp that the upgraded Branwen Tribe had come to be known for. As they drew closer, she noticed that only a handful of guards had been stationed around the entrances. As they reached the gates, one of the guards cloaked in a full set of dust-infused plate armor stopped them. "Welcome to New Schist," He said. "Do you have business with the Branwen Tribe?"

 _Well well, looks like the Branwen Tribe has been taking advantage of the Huntsmen academies' blindspots quite well,_ Cinder thought as she let out her trademark coy smile. "Yes. I contacted one of your contractors not too long ago." She said as Emerald walked up, handing the other guard her scroll as proof.

The other guard took it, looked it over, and nodded to the other guard as he handed Em her scroll back.

"Well alright then. Come on in. We'll escort you to the boss," The first guard said as he turned around to enter the camp. The gates opened immediately, allowing them all passage.

Cinder looked to Emerald and Mercury, nodding to them. They had come here for one purpose, and one purpose only. One wrong move and they'd either be dead or they'd have a lot to answer for. As they walked through the base that—from what she heard—was supposed to be makeshift seemed more...advanced than that. It still looked like it could be closed down and moved quickly, but it also had the look of a permanent fortification. The joints at key sections of the walls were seamlessly worked into the metal, the walls themselves were thicker, more robust. The tents were made up of metal foundations, and no longer the stakes that she was familiar with. It all demonstrated that the three of them wouldn't have an easy time fighting the whole tribe if it came down to it.

Then there was the fact that the New Dawn was still technically around—led by Alexis Ravus—who had went missing after the final battle for Mistral. Fighting the tribe would only aid the New Dawn, and that wasn't in anyone's best interest.

All of them stopped short of the largest tent in the camp. It was the most elaborate with the entire drapery that made up the cloth portion of the tent itself being embroidered with fine gold patterns. The symbol of the tribe itself marked the top of the tent. The guard put his hand to his ear, and spoke into it under his breath. Seconds passed. Then a minute.

Then, a tall woman with sky-colored hair that was well kept, walked out in black leathers covered in silvery plate on the upper arms and the chest; she also had tassets. She stepped out and stopped, refusing to step any further down the steps placed before her. "So you wish to be our client."

"Azure Branwen," Cinder said. "Yes, but first, there's something you need to know."

"And what would that be?" She said, folding her arms.

"I understand that you've recently acquired a new member," Cinder said."

"You'll have to specify. We get new recruits all the time," Azure said, keeping her stern, unimpressed expression as she literally looked down on her.

"A man with blonde hair and red eyes," Cinder said. She took a step forward. "Owain Helios."

The guards muttered amongst themselves as Azure furrowed her brow. "That's quite the accusation you're throwing out," she said.

Cinder let out a closed-mouth grin. "Then bring him out. You can confirm it yourself."

"Let's say you're telling the truth. Then what?" Azure asked.

"Then what? You're harboring the former governor of Mistral, the former leader of your biggest rival. The one responsible for decimating a large portion of your tribe during the initial assault against him not a while ago. Don't tell me you intend on protecting him," Cinder said.

Azure's expression didn't change and she held it there quietly for what seemed like a minute. Then, "Shay!" She shouted.

A familiar light-brown haired man with a mullet walked out of a smaller tent to her left. "Yeah, boss?"

"Can you bring Vester here for a minute?" Azure said, never letting her break eye contact with her.

"Sure thing, boss," Shay said as he entered the tent.

"You two, inform everyone to get out here. I want them all present for this," Azure said.

The two guards broke off to each of the tents; each guard taking one side as they quickly got everyone out.

Cinder scanned them as they worked. _This is going well so far._ She turned back to the tent on the left as— _Well, I'll be damned, he really is here._ She thought as Shay walked out followed by _him_ , though his hair was cut short. A chill ran down her spine as he looked in her direction. As they got closer, she noticed that he was missing his entire right arm. And he was unarmed. An urge rose within her to underestimate him; to assume he was nothing but a shell of his former self, broken by Yang during their final battle. It was an urge she forced away immediately. _A monster like that wasn't going to go down_ that _easily, regardless of how weakened he was,_ she thought as he stopped near both her and Azure.

"You wanted to see me," Owain said.

Azure looked him over. "This woman over here is telling me you're Owain Helios, former governor of Mistral...and the former leader of the New Dawn. Is that true?"

Cinder furrowed her brow. Azure's words annoyed the hell out of her. _Are you an idiot? He's just gonna—_

"Indeed it is," Owain said, much to her surprise. His words resulted in a wave of gasps and whispers throughout the now gathered crowd.

Shay looked the most surprised. He started laughing actually. "How in the hell did Raven's _son_ become governor of freakin Mistral? And why didn't we take advantage of that?"

"Shay!" Azure said.

"Right. Sorry," Shay said.

Cinder latched on to that immediately. "What did you just say?"

"Raven's son?" Emerald said aloud.

"Where did you hear that?" Cinder asked Azure.

"First thing's first," Azure said as she looked down to Owain. "Want to tell me why you hid your identity?"

"I _did_ mention I needed a place to lay low, didn't I?" Owain said. "If you're concerned that I've...infiltrated you or something, be at ease. Such things are...beneath me. If you were my enemy and if that was reason enough to potentially spark violence, I'd simply kill you all, and that would be that."

Azure's expression darkened amidst the rising whispers. She crossed her arms. "I see. So what's the game then? Call me skeptical, but I feel like there's something you're not telling me."

"There's plenty I'm not telling you in the same way that there's probably plenty you're not telling me. I have my private thoughts, like anyone else." Owain turned around to face the rest of the tribe. "Rest assured! The New Dawn was never anything but a tool in a game I had no fondness for. My role as governor was always temporary. I stand here now as nothing more than a weapon for this tribe."

"And _why_ should they believe _that,_ dear governor?" Cinder said, approaching him, though she kept up her guard, ready to flare up her dark flames at a moment's notice.

He glared at her and _still_ her fear rose up from deep within her. "I've always had a fondness for this tribe, ever since I was a boy. Nothing more. I was defeated by Yang. She and I had made a promise during our final battle. One that she won, and I am simply keeping up my end of that promise."

Cinder furrowed her brow and pondered on his words. She pondered on his personality, on what Raven said about his abilities. Though thinking about Raven made her recall Shay's earlier remark. "Tell me, Owain. Why does Shay think you're Raven's son?"

"That's none of your concern. If you care so much to learn, then why not ask Raven herself?" He said.

 _Oh, I will,_ she thought. She turned back to Azure. "Don't listen to him. Let me execute him here and now, and rid you of him before you end up regretting it. You know full well the power he wields. You're not so stupid as to not have kept up to date on the happenings in Mistral. And let me be clear in case you haven't. He's _not_ someone you can handle. He'll kill you all."

Azure smiled. "Will he? I'm not so sure. He's been utterly docile ever since he joined us, but make no mistake. He is indeed powerful. Though it's quite clear to me that he's not adept at bare-fisted combat." Her smile widened into an outright grin. "If he's as powerful as you are making him out to be, then he'd be a fine addition to this tribe."

Cinder's brow furrowed. _She can't be serious,_ she thought. Cinder caught Owain looking at her again.

"I feel like this is a personal vendetta. I can _smell_ the fear emanating from your body. The fear and the _anger_.If you hold such a grudge against me, then I'd be happy to oblige you in a one-on-one duel. What do you say?"

Cinder turned to him. "And what, _then_? What are the terms of this duel?"

Owain turned to face the crowd. "I will fight the Fall Maiden in fair combat! Until one of us can no longer fight! Should I be defeated, then I submit myself to her mercy as someone unworthy of this tribe's patronage!" Owain turned to face Azure, looking up to her as she folded her arms and met his gaze with a stern look. "And if I win, then I am yours. Though I do request that you forget my true identity, for both our sakes."

Cinder looked to Azure as well, awaiting her response. As Azure stayed silent, seemingly pondering, Cinder looked to the tribe as a whole, all of them of one mind. _Do it,_ their expressions read.

Azure raised her head. "So be it."

Cinder took a deep breath. _Well, at least it'll be one-on-one,_ she thought as she met his cold, angry, red-eyed gaze. The man had only one arm, was completely without his armor, and was bereft of Lone Talon, yet he did not seem weakened at all. Images of the past flashed in her mind. Images of when they first met, and he had almost struck her down in a single strike shortly after she had "reunited" with her stepsister. Images of their second battle at Haven in which her newfound strength only rendered him even _stronger._ Images of her trial in which she was utterly helpless before him. Images of the final battle in which she was still helpless where her friends had almost lost their lives. Images of her stepsister who seemed to worship this man. She clenched her fists as the grounds cleared, giving them space.

"Cinder, are you sure about this?" Mercury asked.

"Yeah," She said as she summoned forth her dark flames. They swirled violently around her right forearm. "I need to do this. I'll do this for the three of us."

Owain smiled, much to her surprise. "Don't disappoint me like all those times before, "Cinder". August would be so disappointed."

The way he said her name irked her. And then there was _that_ again. _August...the other Warrior. What is Owain suggesting?_ She tossed aside the question. It was a question for another time. A time when she won and Owain was down on his knees, broken and battered before her. The flames swirled around even stronger. A time when she would finally rid the world of him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Lost track of time, so I don't remember how many weeks this one took. Also, I'll admit that I chose August's name before the After the Fall novel, so I stuck with it anyway, because I like the name, and coming up with an appropriate name for him was freakin hard. Owain, Nero, and Albus were _super_ easy by comparison. So for him I chose a name that could reference power in some way, which will make sense later on.

Anyways! Hope you enjoyed! Yang's arc's improvements will be coming soon! It's just a ton of editing and I'm also waiting for Volume 7 to end to find out what happens. Other than that, questions, comments, and anything is welcome!


	28. Blake's Arc Chapter 5

**The White Huntress**

 **Chapter** **5** **:** **A Message**

* * *

Blake heaved out heavy breath as she stared at the shadows of the rotting wall. She didn't know how many hours it had been, but she had exhausted her aura four times now sending out a constant stream of clones. Though Jinn neglected to show her just how much and for how long Nero trained, she had to make due with what she _did_ see. She had to somehow figure out how Nero formed a physical connection between his shadow clones and literal shadow. It was the first step before she could challenge him, know him.

But she didn't just try and copy him. She tried to make her clones move on their own—if only for a split second. She tried to have them collide with things without dissipating. She tried to make them even grab onto things. She got to a point where her clones lingered for longer, but made little progress everywhere else. _Maybe I just have to get them to last long enough before that connection will start to appear,_ she thought. _Or maybe it's something else all together. Something I'm not seeing_. Jinn herself mentioned how she was holding herself back; that her view of her own semblance was the wrong perspective. That seeing it as a tool to run away, to avoid things was stifling her. She knew that already, but Jinn implied something else. Something...darker.

A thought was smuggled into her head through that dark feeling. A thought...and memories. Bad memories of Nero's life—his violence-filled path, his hatred. She began to think that perhaps that different perspective might not be one she'd be willing to take on. That Nero's usage of their semblance was one much more suited to assassination, to killing—than running, dodging, and scapegoating. Perhaps then there wasn't any hope. Her semblance would remain the way it was, and she'd be at a permanent disadvantage against her other half unless she too let her heart be consumed by rage and hate. Though even _if_ she wanted to pursue such a bestial path, where would she even start? Deliberately chasing after something like that wouldn't work; it wouldn't be sincere, authentic, or honest.

Though such thoughts were counterproductive. She had steeled herself. During her training, she was even inspired to come up with a way of sending Nero a message in the midst of her recalling how he did things. It was the result of her remembering something as stupid as what he wore and what he was called. It was a way of letting him know directly "I'm still around. I'm still alive and I know you, Nero." It was a way of doing all that without informing Frost that she was still alive. It was her way of reaching out to Nero in a way that might make him more open with her the next time they met. That finally, _finally_ they could have an open and honest conversation with each other.

The problem with her plan was how she was going to get the items. Leaving the house as not only a legendary huntress, but the leader of a well-known group that regularly appeared in the media without being noticed? That wasn't going to happen. Her first step in between training sessions and resting was finding a way to safely wander the Lower City without being caught.

A knock came at the door to the small little room she was in. "Come in!"

Maris walked in with what looked like a black hoodie and a broad, toothless smile. He had some chalky white substance on his dark green t-shirt and his pants were ragged more than usual. "I got you something. You were concerned about people learning that you're here, and I wouldn't want you to be cooped up in here forever, so I thought I'd go out into town and see if there was anything that could help out."

She returned his smile with her own—though not as broad. "Thanks. I really appreciate it." Well, that solves that issue. It never crossed her mind to ask them to give her something to hide herself. She only mentioned her concern because she learned Pott had been telling all her friends she was in her home. But thanks to Maris, she'd save quite a bit of time and worry.

He unfolded the hoodie and held it up. "And if it's still lacking in the "hide your appearance" department, Pott should have a scarf or two she'd be happy you lend you."

"Thank you. Again, really. I'm not sure how to repay you," she said, almost solemnly. Maris and Pott had done so much for her with what little they had, and now in a way, they were becoming her accomplices. She worried what Frost would do if she found out that not only was she still alive, but had been harbored by these folk. Frost didn't seem the type to do anything, however, so hopefully that wasn't too much of a concern. Then again, she didn't know enough about Frost to be certain.

"Hey, don't worry about it!" He said cheerfully. "Honestly, the best thing you can do for us is to get back out there and do what you do best. We may not have the best technology to stay perfectly up to date, but we know that it's still a very scary world out there." He frowned much to her surprise. "Mistral...got hit hard by whatever happened in the Upper City, and many folk are gonna have trouble adjusting. Many faunus as well." His expression lifted. "So consider us helping you as doing our part in getting things back to normal around here."

She smiled again and nodded. "In that case, I better get to work." She took the hoodie and put it on. "Do you need any groceries? I could go pick some up while I'm out."

He scratched his head. "If it's not too much trouble..."

She chuckled a little. "Not at all. Two birds with one stone and all that."

"Well, thanks for that then. In the meantime, I'll get everything cleaned up in preparation for dinner."

She smiled warmly, walking passed him, and out the door. "Sounds great. I'll try not to take too long!" And with that, she walked out of their rundown, yet welcoming home that only made her wonder if there really was something else she could do for them. As she walked out into the streets she noticed this particular street of tattered homes bore pretty bad damage; caved-in homes, ten feet high or more of stones piled on top of each other. Ash, soot, burnt wood, burnt metal, and...bodies. Many of them had been covered up with white cloths.

Whichever parts of the Upper City collapsed into the Lower City, this clearly wasn't one of the worst areas hit, though such an area was obviously close enough once she realized the collected and stacked debris in front of peoples houses that indicated they were out busy scavenging. Bits and pieces of burnt metal not reminiscent of metal used here with some of it horribly bent, yet still good. Broken beams of wood, and piles of stone broken into head-sized chunks were all lined up throughout the neighborhood, and there was some even in front of Maris and Potts' house. She wondered how often he went outside to scavenge.

She made a mental note of some of the metal that seemed to be scavenged from Atlesian airships. Some of it even seeming to come from weaponry wielded by knights; she might be able to use some of that. She continued on passed each house, scanning them one by one, side by side as she pulled up the collar of the hoodie to make sure her face was hidden within the hood. Hopefully no one would find someone walking around with her head covered like that suspicious.

At the end of the street came a decline that spiraled further into the Lower City. She could tell it was one of the...more unsavory areas given the stench. It was concerning that Maris and Pott lived so close to this place, yet what could they do about it?

As she descended further, the large portions of mossy stone, massive piles of rocks, and large platforms split in two clued her in that she finally stumbled into the very area that seemed to take the most damage from the falling platforms. The pathway itself led into a dimly lit street littered with the shattered remains of fine buildings. Fine for the Lower City that is. Fine enough that perhaps she had found the right place.

She had no scroll, but she luckily still had some money. Someone around here should be able to give her what she needed; like the mask she wanted. It was something she settled on immediately. As for her weapon, she had no idea what she was going to do about that. Getting a weapon made _here_ of all places was going to be difficult.

But first thing's first. She walked along the path, checking each building and stall. She needed an outfit. Preferably one that was white. If only she had her old jacket, she could've probably added to it a little. While searching for one, she happened upon a stall that was selling masks. The type that were sold for festivals and for fans of certain plays that were periodically held here. There was a fox mask, a dog mask, a cat mask, a frog mask, and a whole bunch of other ones that didn't suit her fancy. She put a finger to her chin. _Which one do I want…_

She continued to scan until a lion-like mask caught her eye. She moved closer to the stall which wasn't getting a lot of business given the fact that the merchant was sleeping on the job. "Excuse me," she said as she raised her collar higher while forcing the hood further over the top of her head. She even made sure to raise the pitch of her voice a little.

The merchant suddenly snored himself awake. "Huh, huh, huh! What, what? Oh! A customer! What can I get you?"

She pointed to the lion one. "That one." It was a plain mask of wooden make. That worked in her favor as she could add in the details herself to cover the fact that she bought it from a stall.

The short, stocky man reached up and grabbed the mask, placed it on the counter and rang it in as she quickly tossed the appropriate amount of lien on the counter. "Thank you very much! Do come again!"

She waved him off as she walked way. _Now I just need the cloak, belt, some dust, and the groceries,_ she thought.

* * *

Frost walked down the wet, tattered road of Lower Mistral beneath the cloak of night. The moon was full on the shattered side. Parts of the mountainside had collapsed over many of the houses; entire platforms had also collapsed, taking out entire portions of Mistral's underworld. "What the hell was the governor thinking? I thought he and the boss were on the same side," she said to Flare. The rubble had changed the landscape enough that she wasn't sure she was going the right way. _Where the hell was the Vault?_ She thought.

Flare Dorn combed his bright orange hair back with his hand. He tightened the strap which held his large cannon of a gun on his back and kept his eyes straight, refusing to take in any of the damages around him. "Well, I wouldn't worry about that. The boss seems perfectly fine. If you ignore his obvious infatuation with Blake Belladonna."

Hearing that very name still pissed her off despite the fact that she was gone now. She still wasn't convinced it was love. Not that kind of love, but definitely something. The moment she's gone, he gets all broody and serious all of a sudden? Sure, it got him back on track, but only in the "I've got nothing else to lose" sort of way, which of course bothered her. It wasn't good enough for her. He _had_ to focus. This was bigger than them, bigger than _him,_ and if he wasn't going to take it seriously, she and the others would just have to force him to.

Flare sighed. "What did you and Terra do to her by the way?"

Thankfully, the road was more or less clear, and they were speaking quietly enough that the people present wouldn't overhear them. If people got wind of what they did to Blake… "You remember what the boss told us about the warriors and relics, right? Well, I simply lured her near the relic and it did the rest." It wasn't like she didn't feel bad about it, but that kind of thinking was precisely the problem. _That_ kind of thinking would get them all killed. Whatever admiration she held for the cat faunus was something she had no choice but to kill.

He whistled. "That easy, was it? You'd think _the_ Blake Belladonna would be a little more cautious."

She furrowed her brow but never turned to look at him. "Which is the _problem!_ She's too nice and trusting of people. She gives people chances, errs on the side of nonviolence, and always tries to make the best of things. That kind of thinking won't work with what we're up against." She sighed, pushing aside old memories. "Unfortunately, the boss is the only one who can win. Him and his companions."

Flare paused for a few seconds. "Speaking of which..."

Frost blew a strand of her light blue hair off her face. "No, I don't know anything about the others or what they're doing. Which is frankly none of our concern. Our job is to ensure the boss stays on task, no matter the cost." She sighed. "Which is why we had to get rid of Blake."

Flare raised an eyebrow. "Where _did_ you get rid of Blake, anyway? Not sure why we're scouring around this dump when we could go straight there."

Flare wasn't the type of guy who would understand. She had grown up in places like this. This dump of a place was not too uncommon for faunus like her back then, and it was Blake that served as her role model. She had looked up to Blake, wanted to be like her, wanted to meet her one day. "I'm just checking out the damages, is all. Lot of crazy stuff happened during the battle."

Flare snorted. "Being sentimental are we? I dig it. Though if we intend to force the boss to stay on track, I suggest we don't stay too long and get to doing our job of scanning the remnants of the Vault of any latent magic. _That_ is more important than anything, remember? Especially if we're being sentimental."

Frost rolled her eyes. "Hey, look, I get it. I know the mission, and I know what's at stake. Just give me a freakin minute alright?"

He laughed. "Alright, alright, have it your way."

They walked, walked, and walked. She _did_ take the time to take everything in. She wasn't stupid. Sacrifices had to be made and only monsters made those sacrifices easily. So she forced herself to absorb it all; what they did, what they _will_ do, and how many lives it would cost. But there was no other way. So she focused. She focused on them. The people. The peoples' expressions varied widely, but all around a central theme: keep busy. A blacksmith over by a pile of scrap metal looked like she had seen it all. A courier was out passing mail and looked to be enthralled in his work as he rushed from person to person, never missing a beat, never slowing down.

A few of the spiders were here as well, and even they had expressions which shifted from a forced sternness to keep up images to slight frowns and sad eyebrows as they fidgeted with nervous ticks. They knew it, she knew it, Flare knew it, Aqua knew it, Terra knew it—they all knew it. No one was safe anymore. The sooner they got used to it the better.

She sighed. "Alright. I think I'm done." Good timing too. Taking it all in helped her remember where they were. She now knew where to find that cave entrance.

* * *

Cinder looked over to Azure who raised her head high. The leader—clad in darkened leathers, arms crossed—stood firm, tall, and straight. She took in adeep breath. "Listen up!" She shouted. "No one is to interfere! Give them a wide berth, don't be too rowdy, and don't be stupid by clumping up together!"

Azure looked down to them. Cinder looked over to Owain who looked up to Azure. Then, and only then, did she take her eyes off him completely. "This is not a fight to the death. I understand that Vecter here has the same semblance as Yang, so I won't declare this fight to be finished once the first person's aura breaks. Instead, when it looks like one of you is near death, I'll fire a shot and that'll be the end of the match. Disobey and I'll order everyone to open fire and kill you both. Understood?"

Cinder smirked. _Damn, this lady has a strong sense of_ _command_ _, doesn't she? I like that,_ she thought. "I'm fine with that." She side-eyed Owain, waiting for his response. _Why Vecter? Why that alias?_ It wasn't something she was too keen on focusing on, but learning more about her enemy—in whatever way she could—was always useful.

Owain remained cool, betraying not a single emotion. "Understood." He looked over to her and began to take a few steps back—something she mimicked. The strange, tiny red lacerations on his face were more noticeable than before. They seemed to have a low shine to them. Perhaps that was simply the light of the towering lamppost stationed just off to the edge of camp. "Does Yang know you're here?"

Cinder titled her head to the side and grinned. "No, actually. This is a...surprise visit. I overheard Raven speak over her scroll and mention you. So I decided to pay you a visit. Tie up loose ends and all that."

Owain cocked a toothless smile. One that seemed a little eerie. "I don't think I'll be too fond of that."

She raised an eyebrow. " _What?"_ What a strange little remark.

His smile seamlessly shifted to his usual scowl. "Don't worry about it."

Cinder jerked over to one of the mercenaries as he tossed Owain a makeshift blade. It was curved, just how he liked it though it was a far cry from the weapon he wielded as governor. It had tape all over the guard and the blade itself was rusted. _He wasn't serious, was he?_ She thought as she stared the guy down as he did the same; his expression stern, cold, and fearless. His aura was activated, but surely that wasn't enough. Surely the man who had sacrificed most of his soul, who was now unarmored, who no longer wielded a familiar weapon, could defeat her? She had awakened the source of the very power she had long sought out for most of her life, shouldn't that be enough?

Flashes of her final trial to win such a power rushed into her head again. His words ringed in her mind. _You are weak,_ he said, again and again. She knew that willpower was the source of his strength. It was something he argued in that trial, and recalling that strengthened her guard and pushed away any arrogance she had left. She had to take this seriously. She kept telling herself that. He was a threat; a dragon—fangs bared and claws primed. One wrong move meant her throat would be rent open and what remained of her would be nothing more than meat for the taking.

She turned her head to gaze over her shoulder at her friends. "Stay out of this," she said quietly with an eye on Em. She faced forward. "If I can't beat him by myself in his weakened state, then that's a problem." She wanted to ensure Emerald wouldn't interfere with her semblance without Azure or anyone else knowing. She didn't want that.

"Got it," Em said. "Though if you're about to die..."

She let out a low laugh. "Fine. But save it for an emergency. Don't jump the gun."

As they began to circle around their "arena" like hands on a clock, surrounded by the mercenaries of the tribe who cheered them on, she let her instincts take control. They screamed caution, which meant body and soul were one. She formed a blade of crystalline darkness in her left hand and gauged his reaction. Nothing. His guard never shifted and neither did his expression.

His shoulder-length blonde hair and light brown cloak swayed with the gusts of wind gracing their battlefield. The cloak was tightly strapped over his right side, hiding his missing arm while his left was exposed; it revealed the rusted black gauntlet of his old armor. _Was he right handed or left handed?_ She couldn't remember. _Maybe he was ambidextrous._ She wanted to know. Every little bit of information she could gleam from him would give her an edge. Perhaps a blindspot to exploit.

They stopped in place. The wind picked up, shifting the sand into a mist. The cheers died down as she tightened the grip on her sword. _Remember, he doesn't have much left. Break his aura and he'll be forced to burn away what's left of his soul to survive._ What happened when the last of it _was_ burnt away was a concern, but not much of one if she was being honest with herself. The worst case scenario in that event meant that somehow he'd become some monstrous grimm, but that only worked in her favor.

She leaned forward, held the blade back, and prepped for a charge. _Yeah, that's right. Just don't be stupid, and you'll be fine,_ she told herself. She blazed towards Owain in almost an instant with the blade extended for a thrust. He parried, kneeing her backward as he did. She skidded backwards. She stopped herself, planted her feet, and put up her guard. Owain didn't press the attack. In fact, he was completely unmoved, his swordarm rested lazily at his side as always. After what she just said to Em, there was a part of her that was insulted by that.

 _So it wasn't just power, he's incredibly skilled too,_ she thought as she wondered what sort of battles would have hardened his skills to such a degree. Skills so refined as to be able to easily parry an empowered maiden all while being a broken shell of his former self. It was unfair in fact; to have such a powerful semblance that could be made even more powerful by simply sacrificing his soul for more power, and yet he was still given the right to refine his abilities and his techniques. It was so unfair that it pissed her off. It reminded her of how foolish she was in the past. In fact—and perhaps not because of coincidence—it reminded her of Raven and their duel in the vault; it reminded her of how she began to lose once the tide of battle shifted in Raven's control. Raven had been a lot more experienced than her. It didn't matter than they were equal in power.

That memory stayed with her all this time. It was a scar on her pride. The memory made her eye Shay who mentioned aloud that Owain was Raven's son. _Why would he think that?_ She wondered as she refocused on the man himself in front of her who still remain stationary. _A concern for another time,_ she thought as she made another exploratory charge as he—a split second away from being gutted—swerved to the side and swung down—her aura taking the crushing blow which should have been cutting.

She blasted herself away, hoping to catch him in the blast. She eyed him through the smoke. Still unmoved, still unfazed, and still focused entirely on her. Another refined action. Even more proof that he was far more skilled than she was. As much as she originally thought that her key to victory was overwhelming power she knew now that that wasn't the way. The tiny little dream she had of overpowering _the_ Berserker whittled away as if it were never there.

She stood up straight, wiped away some sand off the gold embroidery of her red halfrobe as she formed a shield of darkness in her right hand.

Owain's mouth slowly opened as if to speak. "It seems you've learned your lesson. You always were one to rush in without thinking. Your arrogance has always been your greatest weakness. It has always been your single most limiting factor."

She furrowed her brow, feeling the weight of his words. She recalled his earlier words and his mentioning of August. In any other time, especially in the past, she'd have brushed him off as a madman who was full of himself, but his words revealed something. He _knew_ her. The question was how? Before the attempted assassination, they had never met. And Ana never knew her well enough to give him such information. And he spoke with such familiarity that it actually irked the hell out of her. _Who in the hell are you, Owain?_ Being Raven's son did absolutely nothing to answer that question, even if it were true. And Owain wasn't the type of guy to answer any question she would ask. So...

She brought her shield up, held her sword back, and charged again and as Owain sidestepped, she held up the shield as it took Owain's crushing swing and in that very instant, she blew it up, leaping backwards to safety as the darkened flames released forced Owain to stumble away. She leaped at him with a ferocity of a predator pouncing on prey that could escape in a mere moment. As the flames cleared, he took a step back and swung his sword upward as a wave of yellow energy ripped through the air and crashed against her as she skidded across the ground.

She saw the bright fiery shine of his hair fade away through the smokey sand settling to the ground in the explosive aftermath. Yet she never saw his aura flicker. _So he used his semblance,_ she thought. The damage of the blast was intense but not enough to worry her. _Why would he use it so prematurely?_ His parrying, his dodges, and now his early use of his semblance—he was being cautious! She fought off the need to grin. _If he was being cautious, that meant I'm dangerous. I'm a threat to him!_ She thought giddily. That last exchange also taught her something else; her shield tactic was effective. If she can't hit him, she'll just have to punish his counters. Use his own style against him; return damage with damage.

She formed another shield in her left hand and jetted to him again. Owain disarmed the shield from her and spin kicked her with enough force to send her flying and crashing into the ground. She jumped back to her feet and spat. _Well, that's what I get for doing the exact opposite of what I said I was going to do,_ she thought as she took that exchange as a message from Owain that she was getting a little ahead of herself. _No way taking him down was going to be that easy, you idiot. How many times do you have to tell yourself that?_ She thought. Her old habits were hard to break. She wasted no time in taking advantage of even the slightest moment of opportunity.

But how? How was she going to do it? The plan was simple enough, but he was too skilled to let any tactic work more than once. Her shield was out of the question now, so she needed something else. Some other unavoidable attack. As she tried to formulate a plan, the cheers grew louder, egging them on, as Owain remained unmoved, waiting for _her_ to make the first move. _That's a problem,_ she thought, realizing why he was so calm and collected; he was _prepared_ for her. He was in a position to counter anything she did, precisely _because_ he was waiting for her. Massive area attacks were no good; killing the Branwen Tribe would only draw the ire of the others. Failing to kill them if she tried meant they'd gun her down instantly. And such attacks had no guarantee of working. _What to do, what to do?_ She thought anxiously.

She gritted her teeth. Getting frustrated at her failure to come up with a plan, she decided to bite the bullet, and take a risk. _When have you ever been the one to fight like a coward?_ She thought. _Don't you remember? This is why you recruited Emerald and Mercury in the first place!_ She charged with reckless abandon, cloaking herself in darkened flames as she attacked with a fury of darkened swords she crafted to shatter on impact in an attempt to stop his parries. _I'll fight my way, and my way alone!_ The first two strikes failed as he still parried them; her timing was off. But she tried and tried again.

With every swing she made she shifted her timing, detonating each sword the moment they touched his own. She only shattered the blade and not the whole sword. They continued their heated dance; she swung, he parried, she swung, and he continued to parry. It was his only move. As if he were mocking her, looking down at her, telling her "even with this you aren't good enough." _You are weak,_ she remembered. Despite the small area of the blasts, they were beginning to dissolve his blade. So she pressed the attack—again, and again, and _again_ until she saw his aura flicker from the constant shrapnel of tiny dark sparks. With a forceful overhead swing, she shattered her blade against his, eradicating it, and forcing Owain to reel away.

She took a step back. Now, _NOW_ was her chance! She charged with a bit fat smile on her face with a dark crystalline spear in hand like a jouster. "What can you do now without a weapon?" She shouted with glee.

Owain gave a mirthless smile. Red electricity crackled around him. He brought his fist back, his hair lit aflame, and in that very instant her fight or flight response kicked in as a life-threatening punch crashed into her gut and sent her like a comet into the ground behind her. Her aura depleted instantly and she violently heaved up blood as she heeled over. _That lunatic!_ She didn't think he would do that so quickly. Her arms trembled as well as her knees as she tried to get back up, but she kept stumbling over. Any semblance of rational thought left her as her heart rate shot to its maximum. She was going to die. This was it, this was actually it!

She had made a dumb mistake, just like always! She had expected him to regenerate his aura, continue fighting. She didn't he woul—she just could never learn, could she? Her eyes blurred and cleared, blurred and cleared. She shook it off as best she could. _Come on, COME ON!_ She thought. _Get. UP!_ She tried and tried and tried, but her arms failed her, her legs failed her. Then, _BANG!_ She forced her gaze over to Azure.

Azure's arm was pointed to the sky with a gun in hand. "That's enough!" Her arm dropped to her side. "Our dear _governor_ is the victor!" She turned her gaze over to him, giving him a glare. "Can I trust you to keep your promise?"

Owain bowed politely. "Of course. My power is yours."

"Cinder!" Em shouted. Both her and Merc rushed over to her and hoisted her up.

Cinder coughed a couple times. "I'll...be fine. Just...need..." She coughed again. "To rest." _What the hell is his game? Why lend the Branwen Tribe_ _his_ _aid?_ Her eyes widened. _Could he be..._ The New Dawn was practically defunct now. Alexis had gone missing. Their military might shattered in the battle for Mistral. Was he planning on replacing them with the Branwen Tribe? She looked up to Azure. _No one here has the power to stop him,_ she thought. _Even though he's weakened, there's no way they'd be able to stand up to him._ Or maybe they would. He's not the monster he was before. They could gang up on him. He had so little soul left. Is that why he was being so nice and accommodating? To get on their good side? This wasn't good. She'll have to have a talk with Raven about this...and about other things. "Let's get ready to leave, you two."

Emerald and Mercury both nodded. "Are you sure we should just let him be?" Merc asked. "Maybe we can reason with Azure a little more. In private?"

"No," Cinder said. "We'll have to take a different approach."

Azure turned to them. "Well, there you have it. The issue has been settled in fair and honorable combat. I appreciate you bringing us the truth, and for that, you may hire us for whatever you wish at a discounted price. I'd say that's fair."

 _Interesting,_ Cinder thought. She'd have to put that deal in her back pocket so to speak. That might be useful for later. Hell, she might be able to hire them for a job in a way that sabotaged the man himself. She coughed again and chuckled. "I'll take what I can get. I think I'll take you up on that offer, though I'll have to take a rain check for now. We should get going." _Time to see what Raven has to say about all this._

* * *

Yang slouched forward on the couch in the living room with her new prosthetic resting over her knee. She dialed Azure's number again from Mom's phone. She didn't pick up the first few times, but hopefully she would now. _Wasn't she supposed to stay available or something in case of an emergency?_ It rang, rang, and rang, but still no answer. She sighed. "What the hell?"

A knock came at the front door. Kali rushed to answer it after a few quick bangs that didn't seem to come from knuckles. She opened the door, revealing Dad with a stack of boxes that looked to topple over if he walked over even the slightest pebble. Kali forced a chuckle. "You can put them anywhere, don't work yourself too hard."

 _She's still reeling over the news about Blake, isn't she?_ She thought. Well, she couldn't blame her. She didn't believe Blake to be dead, but she...didn't feel it was right to give her that hope just yet. She wanted a sign—something concrete—to suggest her daughter was still alive before making her feel better.

Dad grunted and set the packages down in an empty space on the corner of the wall to his right. "I'll take you up on that. I'm not getting any younger! Besides, I'll have to throw them away shortly anyways, given what's in them.

Yang raised an eyebrow. "What's in them?"

Dad put his hands on his hips. "Oh, you know, just a few tools to repair things around the mansion that are in need of standard repair. That, and I finally found a smith capable of designing the weapon you wanted."

Yang perked up. " _Finally!_ " She wasn't a swordsmith, and what she wanted was a little different than what Mom had, so they needed to find a specialist, yet apparently those are hard to come by.

"Didn't think Owain would actually follow through on that weird deal you made back in Haven," Dad said as he eyed one particular looking package that seemed to be an elongated silvery briefcase that seemed a little too expensive for their budget. "Man, that was weird."

Yang raised another eyebrow. "Weird? What do you mean?"

Dad looked at her. ""What shampoo do you use?"" Dad said in a parody of Owain. "I mean, _really_?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "I completely forgot about that!"

Kali seemed weirded out by that. "He asked what shampoo you used?"

She shrugged. _Makes much more sense once you know who he is,_ she thought. "Yeah. It _was_ weird, now that I think about it. See, the deal was that if I won he'd give me Lone Talon."

"And the shampoo?" Kali asked.

"Oh, he just wanted to know which one I used and if I could borrow some, given that he couldn't exactly go into stores to get some."

Kali raised an eyebrow. "Why...didn't he just _ask_ one of his servants to make a trip to the store for him?"

Yang shrugged again. "I 'unno. I though the same thing, but maybe..." _Why did he ask about that?_ She thought. Most of his soul was burnt away at that point, wasn't it? Why would he care about something like _that_? It's not like she didn't care about her hair, but she figured that in such an extreme case that would be one of the first things she'd lose about herself; her care for her hair. There was a twinge of a belief that Owain did that as an attempt to get closer to her. It...hurt to think about that, given all that he did, but...it also made her happy. That even though his soul was nothing more than a shred, he still had something like that in him. He also promised to _cut_ his hair, which would be weird to see. _No way he actually did that,_ she thought, almost wanting to laugh.

"Anyway..." Dad said. "What are you doing waiting around in the living room?"

"Oh no reason," she said. "Mom and I are gonna make a quick errand. I'll tell you about it when we get back." _Aaaand there's another lie._ She really wanted to blurt it out and get it over with so she wouldn't have to keep these secrets. She really would have to make it up to them. She hoped they'd understand why she lied about it. That in any other circumstance, she'd be open, but this was a special case.

"Well don't take too long. I also bought quite a bit of food for dinner," Dad said.

Kali walked over to some of the packages and peaked inside them. "In that case, I'll just go ahead and take the groceries over to the kitchen, then."

Yang's scroll rang and she noticed it was Azure's number. She furrowed her brow and went to head outside in private. "Well, I gotta take this."

"Sure, no problem," Dad said as he followed Kali into the kitchen with a few of the leftover groceries.

As she left the mansion and shut the door, she answered her scroll. "Hey, Azure?"

"Yang, did you call?" Azure said with a slight chuckle no doubt in response to her many calls.

"I did. Was just letting you know that my mom and I are gonna head over there to pay a little visit to...a certain someone," she asked.

"You mean your brother? Sure thing. This wouldn't have anything to do with why Cinder was here, would it?" Azure said.

 _Wait, what?_ "Cinder? What? She was there?"

Azure snorted. "She was. She came over here to tell us a few things. You didn't tell me your brother was the former governor."

Well, she shouldn't be surprised that Cinder would try and get back at the guy, but still. "Yeah, figured it was best that was kept a secret. He's...not gonna be a problem, I promise."

"And if he becomes one?" She asked.

"Then, I'll deal with him. In fact, that's partly why I'm headed over there. There's a few things I want to talk to him about. Is he alright?"

"He and Cinder duked it out, but yeah, I'd say he's alright. Cinder on the other hand will be looking pretty rough."

 _Well guess that settles that._ "Alright then. We won't be too long, so unless you need to move again, would you mind waiting for us?"

"We don't have any immediate plans to relocate, so sure thing."

"Thanks. See you soon," Yang said as she hung up and pocketed her scroll.

* * *

Blake shook the can of spray paint and finished the last touches on the mask. She placed the can beside the yellow and purple cans. The eyes—and a few claw-like marks—were sprayed yellow on the mask while the rest was given a black coating. She had painted the whiskers purple. She let it sit there to dry as she went to look over the white cloak she bought. It was long sleeved, thin, and had a heavy silken feel to it. The hood was big enough to hide everywhere on her head except the face. She also bought a few extra pouches to add to her belt to wrap around the cloak. Without a weapon, she had to fashion a bunch of makeshift kunai laced with dust from some of the metal she scavenged from Atlesian wreckage.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find anyone to provide her with a new weapon, so she'd have to make due with the knives. That only left her training. She grabbed the cloak off its hanger and stuffed it into the backpack she also bought. She stuffed the kunai in their holsters, put the dust in their pouches, and placed them in the bag neatly beside her new cloak.

It was then that she smelled the sudden spike in seasonings and spices coming from the kitchen. Looked like Maris and Pott were almost done cooking. She had splurged a little bit with some of the money she had to afford them a much bigger meal. Hopefully they liked it. While the mask dried, she left the room to join them for dinner.

"Hey!" Maris shouted happily. "Food's almost ready." He took the noodles placed in the bowl beside him into the pot.

Pott sat down at the table practically drooling. She was beaming with excitement as she fidgeted back and forth in her seat.

She chuckled. "Can't wait." She gave a warm, toothless smile to Pott who returned it with her own. She looked down at the plate set before her. It had no food in it yet, but she imagined it had some. And she also imagined Nero sitting across from her, digging in. She imagined him with Mom and Dad as they all ate together. She imagined Nero feeling embarrassed. Those feelings...that fantasy...she wanted to make it a reality. _Wait for me, Nero._


End file.
